‘Patience Jonathan, Wike behind blasts, gunshots at APC rally’
Rotimi Amaechi, governor of Rivers state, has accused Patience Jonathan, wife of Nigeria’s president and Nyesom Wike, the PDP gubernatorial candidate in the state, of instigating the attack on supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Okrika on Tuesday.
The governorship campaign rally of APC scheduled for National Secondary School, Okrika, was disrupted as gunshots and explosives rocked the air.
Security personnel had to rescue Dakuku Peterside, APC gubernatorial candidate in Rivers, out of the venue, as many scuttled to safety.
Speaking with journalists at the Shehu Yar’Adua centre in Abuja after a meeting with APC leaders still on Tuesday, Amaechi expressed disappointment with the inability of law enforcement agents to ensure a hitch-free campaign for his party.
“Clearly, the wife of the president does not want APC to campaign in Okrika, her local government area,” he said.
“The wife of the president and the governorship candidate of Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers again organised thugs to disrupt APC rally. As usual, the police couldn’t protect us, over 200 police men.
“I asked the commissioner of police and he said they had over 200 policemen there. Yet, three explosions and then they opened fire on members of APC. The Channels TV reporter I hear, is injured, stabbed, and members of APC injured.
“We had meetings with DSS (Directorate of State Security) and police and they confirmed we could go ahead. There were 200 policemen and there were over 20 to 30 DSS men who came there and they did nothing.”
When asked if election could take place in the state as a result of the frequent rate of violence, Amaechi said only President Goodluck Jonathan could respond to that.
“You should ask the president, it’s not me you should be asking,” he said.
“If he is in Sambisa, if he is in Borno fighting the 14 local government areas. Like I said, there were crises in the Niger Delta in 2007 and there were elections. So if the 14 local governments of Borno and Adamawa and Yobe, he can’t go ahead with election, then where is he going ahead with election when the whole of Rivers state is being invaded by PDP and PDP thugs and security men are watching and doing nothing?”
How many minutes does Rotimi Amaechi spend in Port Harcourt where he is supposed to be governing? The way he carelessly throws allegations without any proof is extremely irresponsible. The other day he alienated the pastors and their members further from APC when he accused them without evidence of receiving bribes. Na waa for this boy
The people of Nigeria will continue to get what they deserve until they (followership change). Unless the followers change, they cannot change leadership. We are deluding ourselves changing sai Buhari, sai change whatever, but the truth is this is a democratic governance and Buhari cannot do anything by himself. Every single politician beside him is more than corrupt, they only want to sail to power with Mr Buhari’s (record??) and then shove him aside. The onus is on the Nigeria public, only them can tame their politicians, Americans and Brits wouldn’t do it for us.
Prudent or what is ur name why can’t u caution ur mother patience to have respect for d governor if she is controlling Jonathan she should not come and control Amechi he is in trouble with a man of good integraty dat d wife can stand any where to address d press without jargons
Ianko,what is it u have wt Dame Patience? Gov Amaechi is a leader and he should be more cautious in spaeking on issues. Thanks!
Pot calling Kettle black, even when you cannot spell INTEGRITY correctly. Amaechi boy indeed!
OMG you Guys won’t kill me.
Why is our own practice of democracy is do or die affairs. I pray the petroleum should run dry because it’s because of oil proceedings they are killing themselves and forcing themselves on the masses. If God can just help us drained the oil off our land then anyone that come to contest for any political office will be seeing as a patriotic Nigerian. For now,none of them is ready to serve but to be served. May God free our fathers land from the gripping hands of fraudsters we call leader.
may GOD save us from this politic of do or die they are into thisdays
only mr pope has said the right thing. we need to have a revolution of the mind before we can get anything right in Nigeria. start to be patriotic think of the country first efore any other thing. until we do these things will normalcy return to our father land.
I think what happen in Okrika is the handywork of PDP. They do not want the campaign rally to hold. Is it by force one must win election? Why are some politicians despirate?