PDP Rally Stampede RSG Awaits Presidential Report

The Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, says the state would patiently await the outcome of the Presidential Investigation Report into the stampede at the PDP zonal presidential rally in Port Harcourt, over the weekend.

“We are waiting for the outcome of the investigation, not necessarily because we lost our people but to forestall future reoccurrence”, Amaechi said on Monday while receiving a federal government delegation, led by the Vice President Namadi Sambo, who was on  a condolence visit.

Amaechi described the moment as difficult in his life, saying that no Governor governs to lose life, noting that at swearing-in, a governor’s first oath of office is to protect lives and property.

The state chief executive, therefore, said the best way to honour those who died was for all Nigerians to ensure a peaceful free and fair election in the coming April polls, adding that those who died in the incident had sacrificed their lives for credible elections in Nigeria.

Governor Amaechi, who thanked the Vice President and members of the PDP National Working Committee for coming to Port Harcourt to condole with the people, noted that President Jonathan had once again showed his humane nature.

He disclosed that he was personally affected, as he lost an in-law and his community’s woman leader in the incident, as well as his sister who was injured.

Earlier, the Vice President, had told the governor that he was in Port Harcourt, on behalf of the Federal Government to express the condolences of the President to the Government and people of Rivers State and the entire South-South over the unfortunate incident.

He  thanked the state government for what it had already done to assist the victims of the stampede, and pledged Federal Government’s continued support to improve security in all the states of the federation.

Sambo, who later presented a letter of condolence from President Jonathan to the state governor, prayed for quick recovery of those still on admission in the hospital and the repose of the souls of those that died.

Also speaking, the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Dr Mohammed Bello, described the stampede that occurred at the end of the rally as a sad event. He expressed condolences on behalf of the National Working Committee of the party to the government and people of Rivers State as well as other South-South states.

The Vice President had earlier visited the Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital (BMSH) to see some of the victims where the Chief Medical Director, Dr Bernard Aprioku told him that out of the 32 victims brought to the hospital, only seven were still on admission, while one person was referred to UPTH for intensive care.

He explained that out of 11 persons confirmed dead, 10 had died before they were brought to the hospital, while one died at Teme Clinic, Port Harcourt.