Rivers APC Denies Destroying Nigerian Flag …Warns PDP Against Violence

L-R: Member, House of Representatives, Hon. Barry Mpigi, former National Deputy Chairman, PDP, Dr Sam Sam Jaja and member, House of Representatives, Hon. Dakuku Peterside, casting their votes during Rivers State APC congress in Port Harcourt, recently. Photo: Chris Monyanaga

The Rivers State chap
ter  of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has denied its involvement in the alleged destruction of the  Nigerian flags and flags belonging to the  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Sate.
The destructed flags, The Tide learnt, were hoisted by the State PDP in preparation  for  President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit to the State, this weekend. The visit, according to our sources, has  however, been put off due to security reasons.
Speaking to newsmen in Port Harcourt, Rivers State APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ikanya, described the PDP’s claim as false and spurious.
Ikanya stated that no APC member was involved in the destruction of the Nigerian flags or flags belonging to another political party.
He said that the allegation might be another ploy by the state PDP to start destroying APC’s billboards across the state, thereby causing confusion in the state.
The APC chairman recalled similar allegation in which the state PDP had  erroneously accused the APC and the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of kidnapping three members of the PDP, adding that the police had since arrested the culprits, who were found to be non-members of the APC.
He stated that the arrest by the police had vindicated the APC, pointing out that neither Amaechi nor the party believes in violence.
“They (PDP) only want to embarrass our party. Instead of the PDP to talk about why the state (Rivers) has no federal presence, they have been raising frivolous allegations against the governor and the APC,” he said.
He, however, warned politicians to desist from planning to unleash violence during the 2015 elections, saying, the APC would not allow any political party to rig the 2015 elections.
According to the APC chairman, “politicians should desist from planning to unleash violence because anybody who takes another man’s life should know that his own life will also be taken away.
“Let nobody plan bloodshed because nobody has the monopoly of violence. The law enforcement agencies should be neutral. If the police are neutral and non-partisan, corrupt politicians will not have the opportunity to unleash violence in 2015,”.
Meanwhile, the party has described as ridiculous the claim by the Supervising Minister of Education,Chief Nyesom Wike, that Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi and his supporters were planning to return to the PDP.
Ikanya who dismissed the claims, said that it was false that the APC was afraid of the PDP in the state, adding that Wike’s statement was intended to boost the morale of his depleting party and supporters.
Wike had, during the first anniversary of Felix Obuah  administration as the state PDP chairman, alleged that Governor Amaechi and his  supporters were planning to return to the PDP.

Chikwere Chuks