Ahead of the APC ward congress in Rivers state, irate
youths vandalized the secretariat of the party in Port
Harcourt
- One death was recorded as the police fired gun shots
to scare the youths
- Chris Finebone, publicity secretary of APC in Rivers
blamed some party leaders for the violence
One person died in Port Harcourt on Friday, May
4, as unidentified persons, suspected to be
political thugs vandalised the secretariat of the
All Progressives Congress (APC) located at the
Old Government Residential Area in Port
Harcourt, Rivers.
The Rivers command of the Nigerian Police
quickly intervened by deploying tear-gas to stop
further destruction of the party’s secretariat.
Gun shots were fired into the air to scare riotous
members and in the process one death was
recorded.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that APC
members aspiring for various positions at the
Ward levels had come to the party secretariat to
pick their forms before the incident.
A ward chairmanship aspirant told NAN that he
was unable to pick the form after paying the
required amount through the bank. He said that
trouble occurred after a long wait by the
aspirants.
“As you can see, most of us that are vying for different
positions in our wards are here to pick the form but nobody
is here to address us. We were told that sales of forms will
commence by 3 pm but up till 5:30pm we didn’t see
anybody attending to us,” he alleged.
NAN learnt from witnesses that violence broke
out following the long wait. The party’s
secretariat was vandalised.
Efforts made to get reaction from the police did
not yield result.
Chris Finebone, publicity secretary of APC in
Rivers via a text message said that what
happened at the secretariat was an act of
wanton destruction that should be condemned by
all.
“ We regret that party leaders who have been canvassing
for elections turned around to demand for consensus
arrangement only to turn around to prevent the process of
election through violence. We know them and time will
prove them wrong ,” Finebone alleged.
There are 319 wards across the 23 local
government areas of the state.
The ruling party fixed Saturday, May 5, for the
ward congress while it fixed the local
government area (LGA) and state congresses for
May 12 and May 19 respectively.
In Adamawa, over 10, 000 forms were said to
have so far been issued to candidates for the
Saturday ward congress in the state. Alhaji
Ahmed Lawan, the state organizing Secretary of
the party, made this known Friday, May 4, in
Yola while briefing newsmen on the exercise.
reported that Lawan said while women
and physically challenged candidates were given
the forms for free, others had to pay N10,000 for
chairmanship and N2,000 for other positions.
Meanwhile, President Buhari on Friday, May 4,
arrived his country home, Daura to participate in
the party's ward congress at Sarkin Yara A ward
slated for Saturday, May 5. Sarkin Yara A
consists of 15 polling stations and 26 party
executives.
The presidential jet conveying him touched down
at Umaru Musa Ya’Adua Airport, Katsina state at
exactly 4:28 pm and shortly after, President
Buhari was conveyed in a police chopper to
Daura.
youths vandalized the secretariat of the party in Port
Harcourt
- One death was recorded as the police fired gun shots
to scare the youths
- Chris Finebone, publicity secretary of APC in Rivers
blamed some party leaders for the violence
One person died in Port Harcourt on Friday, May
4, as unidentified persons, suspected to be
political thugs vandalised the secretariat of the
All Progressives Congress (APC) located at the
Old Government Residential Area in Port
Harcourt, Rivers.
The Rivers command of the Nigerian Police
quickly intervened by deploying tear-gas to stop
further destruction of the party’s secretariat.
Gun shots were fired into the air to scare riotous
members and in the process one death was
recorded.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that APC
members aspiring for various positions at the
Ward levels had come to the party secretariat to
pick their forms before the incident.
A ward chairmanship aspirant told NAN that he
was unable to pick the form after paying the
required amount through the bank. He said that
trouble occurred after a long wait by the
aspirants.
“As you can see, most of us that are vying for different
positions in our wards are here to pick the form but nobody
is here to address us. We were told that sales of forms will
commence by 3 pm but up till 5:30pm we didn’t see
anybody attending to us,” he alleged.
NAN learnt from witnesses that violence broke
out following the long wait. The party’s
secretariat was vandalised.
Efforts made to get reaction from the police did
not yield result.
Chris Finebone, publicity secretary of APC in
Rivers via a text message said that what
happened at the secretariat was an act of
wanton destruction that should be condemned by
all.
“ We regret that party leaders who have been canvassing
for elections turned around to demand for consensus
arrangement only to turn around to prevent the process of
election through violence. We know them and time will
prove them wrong ,” Finebone alleged.
There are 319 wards across the 23 local
government areas of the state.
The ruling party fixed Saturday, May 5, for the
ward congress while it fixed the local
government area (LGA) and state congresses for
May 12 and May 19 respectively.
In Adamawa, over 10, 000 forms were said to
have so far been issued to candidates for the
Saturday ward congress in the state. Alhaji
Ahmed Lawan, the state organizing Secretary of
the party, made this known Friday, May 4, in
Yola while briefing newsmen on the exercise.
reported that Lawan said while women
and physically challenged candidates were given
the forms for free, others had to pay N10,000 for
chairmanship and N2,000 for other positions.
Meanwhile, President Buhari on Friday, May 4,
arrived his country home, Daura to participate in
the party's ward congress at Sarkin Yara A ward
slated for Saturday, May 5. Sarkin Yara A
consists of 15 polling stations and 26 party
executives.
The presidential jet conveying him touched down
at Umaru Musa Ya’Adua Airport, Katsina state at
exactly 4:28 pm and shortly after, President
Buhari was conveyed in a police chopper to
Daura.
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