Desmond Iwuchukwu
The Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State has denied claims by the APC that its members were behind the disruption of its rally in Omuma Local Government Area on Monday, February 6, 2023.
The Director of Publicity, Rivers PDP Campaign Council, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke, while reacting to the development, urged the public to disregard the unsubstantiated allegations by the APC.
He claimed that the community-based crisis was precipitated by the illegal detention of a young man who is not a politician.
Ogbonna Nwuke said that security men attached to the leader of the APC in Omuma, in the company of some operatives of OSPAC, had arrested the young man.
He said the operatives of OSPAC detained the young man overnight and beat him mercilessly.
According to the statement, their refusal to hand over their son forced the community to react.
“We are shocked by a report that is filtering in from Omuma. According to the report, some unknown people claiming to be from the PDP demolished the site of a pro-APC rally in Omuma.
“As usual, the APC propaganda machine has found it convenient to place the blame for what transpired on the PDP. While we agree that we are the biggest party in Rivers State, with very strong followership throughout the various local government areas, the PDP categorically abstains from any involvement in the confrontation that took place.
“The truth is that a young man from the community where the rally was to hold was apprehended by security attached to the APC leader in Omuma in the company of some OSPAC members and beaten to a pulp.
”We have learned that the father of the young man who was held at the venue overnight went to plead for the release of his son. Those holding him flatly refused”.
“It was at this point that the community people intervened and trouble broke out. This much is true, and there are witnesses who will corroborate this account.
“As a political party, we have no hand in what happened. We challenge the APC to show genuine evidence of the PDP’s involvement in this matter.
“By requesting that the APC conduct investigations before going to press, we urge the people of Rivers to disregard the APC’s lies.” They are unfounded and baseless.”
