The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has condemned the comment credited to the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, over alleged violence that disrupted the LGA primaries in Degema Local Government Area.
The APC, through its Publicity Secretary, Chris Finebone, had accused the PDP of allegedly organising primaries marred with violence, thereby putting the lives of Rivers people at risk.
According to Finebone, who was highly disturbed that since the nomination process for a legally compromised local government council election for chairmen and councillors by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, shootings and maiming have, once again, resumed across Rivers State.
“It is important to mention that the charade of an election is being organised by the PDP and for the PDP even though some fringe parties claim to participate” Mr. Finebone said.
“It is shocking to note that mere primaries for chairmen and councillors for a supposed local council election will result in the large scale shootings, maiming and violence that are now further compounding the dangers of kidnapping, robberies and killings that Rivers people and residents are living under.
“Curiously but noteworthy is that, with the eruption of violence in the ongoing PDP council primaries in Rivers State, all doubts about those who are responsible for the electoral violence in the State have been cleared.
” Sadly, the violence by PDP members on fellow PDP members still carry collateral consequences on law-abiding people and residents of Rivers State including peace-loving members of the APC”, APC publicity Secretary alleged.
Meanwhile, the Grassroots Development Initiative worldwide GDI, a pro-PDP group in the State has condemned the comment credited to the APC against the PDP councillorship primaries in the State.
Speaking to theportcitynews.com correspondent in Port Harcourt on Sunday, the Secretary General of GDI and flag bearer of PDP for chairmanship position in Ikwerre Local Government Area, Samuel Nwanosike said, the accusation by APC spokesperson in Rivers is senseless and baseless.
Nwanosike who disclosed that GDI has received over 48, 000 APC defectors into PDP, said the Peoples Democratic Party had a peaceful and violence free primaries.
He added that the party carried it’s activities as mandated by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, that all political parties in the state should conduct primaries towards the forth-coming local government elections.
Nwanosike said: “As far as we the Grassroots Development Initiative is concerned, the statement released by the Publicity Secretary of APC, Chris Finebone, is ridiculous, senseless, baseless and will only be accredited to a man who had no focus and who do not understand the tenet of democracy and how democracy works in Nigeria.
“As we have today, PDP is carrying out as directed by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, that all registered political parties should participate in political primaries to be able to bring out candidates that will be their flag bearers in the forth-coming June 16 general election.
“The APC have seen that they have lost focus as a political party and as an opposition in Rivers State because of their style of leadership. They have seen that the GDI has received over 48,000 decampees members of APC into PDP. APC therefore, decided to pull out from the LGA election knowing that they will not be able to win any of the 319 wards in Rivers State and have gone into cheap blackmail” Nwanosike added.
