MAYHEM IN RIVERS AS FACTION LOYAL TO AMAECHI DESTROYS APC SECRETARIAT LOYAL TO SEN MAGNUS ABE

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Elder Wihoka tags attack robbery and arson

Party chieftains tell IGP to probe Rivers CP

Flag-Amachree fingered in attack

Admin l Saturday, August 11, 2018

PORT HARCOURT, Rivers, Nigeria – Five tinted buses conveying uniformed policemen and political thugs armed with guns, cutlasses and axes stormed the All Progressives Congress, APC, secretariat of the faction loyal to Senator Magnus Abe, on Saturday, and vandalised the building. They arrived the new secretariat along Aba Road, close to the popular Waterlines Bus-Stop at about 9. am. The secretariat was first noticed on Friday morning. They invaders shot sporadically into the air scaring away staff of the secretariat, workers of the contractor renovating the building as well as passers-by and residents around the area.




The armed thugs destroyed the facility, including valuable items and photo portraits of President Muhammadu Buhari and that of the National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. Some staff of the secretariat complained that office equipment and their personal effects including phones, tablets, bags and money, among others were forcibly taken away from them during the raid.

Windows of the APC secretariat shattered by armed policemen and thugs today

The Deputy Chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the APC loyal to Senator Abe’s governorship ambition, Prince Peter Odike, was to operate from the vandalised secretariat.

Chairman of the APC faction loyal to the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Ojukaiye Flag-Amachree, said on Friday that he will destroy any factional APC secretariat that was set up in the state. The secretariat of the faction loyal to Amaechi has soldiers, men of the Federal Anti-Robbery Squad, F-SARS, and operatives of the Police anti-bomb unit on guard.

While the soldiers are strategically positioned with sand-bags to ward off attacks, the F-SARS personnel have an operational Toyota Hilux vehicle parked in front of the main entrance into the secretariat. The Amaechi and Abe factions are enmeshed in a legal battle over the leadership of the state executive: a fallout of the APC ward, local government and state congresses that were held in May. The old secretariat of the APC, along Forces Avenue, GRA Phase 1, was abandoned following a clash that erupted on the eve of the congresses over accusations that Amaechi allegedly hijacked the electoral materials meant for the conduct of the congresses.

Addressing journalists on the attack and vandalism of the party secretariat, a Chieftain of the party and member representing Ikwerre Federal constituency in the House of Representatives , Elder Chidi Wihioka, accused Ojukaye Flag-Amachree of spearheading the incident. The Federal lawmaker stated that Flag-Amachree had threatened to attack the APC state secretariat a few days ago.

Wihioka who described the secretariat of the Senator Abe faction as the authentic one, noted that he called the State Commissioner of Police, Zaki Ahmed, and reported the threat of Ojukaye Flag-Amachree. He added that he appealed to the Rivers State Commissioner of Police to send some Policemen to to guard the APC Secretariat.

The lawmaker noted that as a matter of urgent importance, Senator Abe also called the Commissioner of Police and reported the matter to him to ensure that the Police provided security to the APC factional state secretariat. Wihioka said that despite all the effort made to persuade the Commissioner of Police to provide security for the party secretariat, in the early hours of today, hoodlums allegedly sponsored by Ojukaye Flagg-Amachree attacked and destroyed the APC secretariat.

He noted that poles flying the party flags, buckets of paints, portraits of President Muhammadu Buhari and other valuable items were vandalized.
Wihoka stressed that those working on the building were also attacked as well as equipment used on the building destroyed by the hoodlums. He said that some personal belongings including handsets belonging to the workers and machines were stolen by the hoodlums.

Wihioka called on the Rivers State Commissioner for Police and the Inspector-General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, to arrest Flag-Amachree to produce those he had sent to carry out the operation as well as ensure proper investigation into the matter. The federal lawmaker called on Flag-Amachree and his cohorts to approach the court and seek redress if they felt aggrieved instead of resorting to violence.

He stressed that an Appeal Court had ruled against Flag-Amachree’s emergence as the APC Party Chairman in Rivers State, adding that he could not be the chairman of the party based on the court ruling. Also speaking on the attack on the secretariat, a Youth leader of the party, Mr Dima Agiobu confirmed that Flag-Amachree had threatened to attack and destroy the APC party secretariat some days ago.

He noted that an Appeal court had on May 30, ruled against Flag-Amachree’s emergence as the chairman of APC in Rivers State, adding that based on the judgement, Flag-Amachree could not be the chairman of APC in Rivers State.

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