The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State has alleged that the All Progressives Congress, APC, is working with the army and the police to disrupt and rig the general elections scheduled for Saturday, February 23 and March 9.
Addressing a press conference in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State PDP Campaign Council alleged that the army had already stationed
The Chairman of the Campaign Council, Ferdinand Alabraba,
He said the PDP only wanted to tell the world that whatever crisis that would emanate from Rivers State during the elections was orchestrated by the APC and the security agencies.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Campaign Council, Desmond Akawor, also alleged that there were plans by APC to use security agencies to arrest and detain leaders of the PDP days before the election.
But he said the PDP, however, would not act cowardly in the face of such provocation and intimidation, saying no one had the monopoly of violence “as we have the capacity and will to
He recalled threats issued by some chieftains of the APC that there would not be any election in Rivers State if the APC was not put back on the ballot by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
A court in Port Harcourt had directed INEC to remove APC from the ballot after it annulled the primaries that produced the party’s candidates.
Akawor said it was regrettable that the security agencies have failed to respond to the threats of violence by the APC.
He said that last Friday, a day before the rescheduled presidential and national assembly elections, the security agencies deployed soldiers to Akuku Toru, Andoni, Asari Toru, Okrika, Bonny, Degema and Opobo Nkoro Local Government. “Indeed at Okrika Local Government, indigenes and residents were physically barred from returning home as early as
He added, “These actions by the APC, INEC and security agencies and the Federal Government clearly point to the undisputable conclusion that the plot by the APC to scuttle the general election in Rivers State is real and must be taken seriously and be prevented by all well-meaning Nigerians and the international community before it degenerates into major crisis,
“As a responsible