Executive
Members of the All Progressives Congress from Okrika Local Government Area of
Rivers State have called on President Goodluck Jonathan to caution his wife,
Dame Patience Jonathan, over the woman’s alleged refusal to allow the party to
hold its governorship campaign in the area.
The
Party alleged that rather than agree to provide security for the APC
governorship campaign in Okrika, the state Police command had suggested that
the event be postponed indefinitely since it (command) would not be able to
guarantee security if the rally was held.
The
Local Govt, Okrika, the native home of Mrs. Patience Jonathan, is one of the
areas in the state currently embroiled in political crisis, having recorded
cases of attacks on APC campaign ground and other forms of
politically-motivated violence.
Said
by the newsmen in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, the Chairman of Dakuku Peterside
Campaign Organisation in Okrika Local Government Area, Mr. Tamuno William,
explained that the APC had been forced to postpone indefinitely its proposed
rally in Okrika based on the directive of the state Police command.
Mr.
William explained that the governorship campaign rally that was to hold on
Wednesday was thwarted by police insistence that security was not guaranteed in
the area.
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Mr.
Willians added, “On Monday February 10, leaders of the APC in Okrika received
invitation letters to a security briefing with CP Bature scheduled for Tuesday
February 11, 2015.
The
"Prior to these invitations, there were rumours all over Okrika to the
effect that the wife of the President, Mrs. Jonathan, had decreed that the APC
must not be allowed to hold its rallies in the two Okrika-speaking local
government areas of Okrika and Ogu/Bolo.
Infact,
"according to the rumours, despite several entreaties to her majestic Excellency
to allow the APC hold a mere campaign rally, she insisted that the rallies must
not hold on ‘her turf’.
“According
to the further guarantee that her orders were not to be thwarted, Mrs. Jonathan
arrived Port Harcourt today, Wednesday February, 11, 2015, with plans to visit
Okrika on Thursday, February 12.
“In
obedience to the invitation from the CP, the leadership of the APC was at the
Rivers State Police command at 12 noon and waited to meet with the CP and
waited up till 12.40pm.
“Eventually,
DC Shaba, DC Amadi and other members of the command, who sat in for the CP,
received us. The members of the PDP were evidently absent at the meeting. The
sum total of the meeting with the police command was that the Rivers State
Police command was unable to guarantee security for anyone in Rivers State
during any rallies.
“This
meeting was holding at the same time as the PDP was holding its own rally in
Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.”