Attacking our party Secretariat will not stop us from opening it.
—Senator Magnus Abe
… Count Amaechi, APC chairman out over the attack of your illegal Secretariat—Dakuku Peterside
Daniel Efe/Port-Harcourt
The attack on the factional Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress loyal to has been eliciting reactions in state on Saturday August 11 in Port-Harcourt.
Senator Magnus Abe, representing Rivers South East has vowed that the vandalization of a parallel State Secretariat of All Progressives Congress, APC, loyal to him by hoodlums will not truncate the planned official opening of the party Secretariat.
Abe who spoke in Bori, headquarters of Khana local Government Council area at the weekend told his supporters that journey they are embarking on is a journey to government house as Governor other Rivers state.
He condemned the attack and vandization the factional state Secretariat loyal to him as unlawful and act of intimidation of his supporters vowing that at an appointed date the factional Secretariat will be opened.
According to Senator Abe, “Our journey is a journey to the Bricks House of Rivers State. No amount of guns, no amount of intimidation will stop us from what we are doing. So don’t respond to frustrated people. When they shoot at you, dodge, but we must make sure that we have people around who will make it impossible for them to shoot at you.
“So the day we will open the office, I don’t want to announce it here because I have to meet with the party Chairman and find out from him.
The party Chairman is Chief Peter Odike. The day he will open the office, I will be there. Will you be there? Will you be there? So we will be there!
Abe warned, “Those people who think that they can intimidate us, they make me laugh. If they know how determined we are, if they know how committed we are, if they know how much we are prepared for this journey, they will not even bother. They will not even bother.”
However, Dr Dakuku Peterside, the Director General of Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency, NIMASA, and the former Governorship candidate of All Progressive Congress, APC, has absorbed the Minister of Transportation and former Governor Chibuike Amaechi and APC state party Chairman Ojukaiye Flag Amachree from sending hoodlums to attack the factional party Secretariat.
“I acknowledge that there are issues within the party that the national leadership is handling that does not warrant opening a parallel state Secretariat. It is worse for hoodlums to violently attacking the factional Secretariat. Our leader Amaechi I have known for more than two decades is a believer in exercising our rights in the temple of justice and the rule of law”, NIMASA boss stated.
Dakuku Peterside also advised “My brother Distinguished Senator should also look inwards because from unconfirmed reports that I learnt that some of his members are at loggerheads over contracts awarded to them by NDDC”.
He called on security agencies to track down the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
Some unidentified hoodlums on Saturday attacked the factional Secretariat pulling down the APC flags and poles, vandalized doors and ceiling etc.
More condemnations have continued to trail the attack.
Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, an elder statesman and Spokesman of Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF and retired officer of the State Security Service, SSS, and former Security Adviser to former Governor Dr Peter Odili has condemned the invasion of the Secretariat.
He said he was shocked to hear how the parallel APC Secretariat was attacked along Aba road and destroyed by faceless thugs in the early hours of today Saturday 11th August, 2018.
He said the unholy and barbaric actions of attacking and destroying opponent buildings and facilities in the name of politics is not acceptable but rather condemnable.
“I totally condemn it and also call on all and sundry to join me in condemning this shameful act. Politics is all about ideas, manifesto and programmes and in democracy we are not all expected to follow, accept or tow a single opinion, idea or instruction. We are at liberty to form our opinions and propagate our views.
Someone disagree with you is not enough to take the laws into your hands and carry out this shameful and faceless act.
“There is no permanent friend or enemy in politics. Your friend today might turn out to be your greatest enemy, likewise your enemy might turn out to be your best friend. This type of politics will never grow the State at all. It will rather take us back in our political, economic and social development. It will also not help the people of the State, Niger Delta region and the country at large so let us stop this nonsense and think of how we will attract good governance into the State and the country at large.” Anabs Sarah Igbe.