The police in Port Harcourt on
Friday dispersed both pro-APC/AAC and Pro-PDP supporters with teargas as both
groups were marching towards the office of the Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, on Aba/Port Harcourt Expressway, Rivers State.
This is coming as Governor Nyesom
Wike banned all forms of protest in the state.
The two protesting groups had
earlier gathered at the Port Harcourt Polo club marching towards the INEC
office when they were accosted at the popular GRA junction by officers of the
Rivers State Police Command.
Protesters scamper to safety as
police shot teargas canisters at them.
Sequel to persisted protests on
the streets of Port Harcourt, since the
suspension of the electoral process since March 9, INEC, the Rivers Government
placed a ban on all public protests in state till further notice.
The ban, announced by Emma Okah,
the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications said security
agencies had been directed to enforce the ban in the interest of public peace
and order.
The protesters are divided into
two opposite political divides; those asking for the redeployment of the
Resident Electoral Commissioner, Obo Effanga and a stop on the collation of
results, and those supporting that the REC should stay and complete his job of
announcing the remaining results.
However, the All Progressives
Congress, APC, has kicked against the ban on protests by the Rivers State
Government, describing it as the height of absurdity by any government.
The APC said perhaps, Wike who
authorised the ban was unaware that Rivers people and in deed Nigerians had
inalienable right to peaceful protest.
“Perhaps the governor should be
reminded that Honourable Justice Adekeye J.S.C. (rtd) once stated that, “A
rally or placard carrying demonstration has become a form of expression of
views on current issues affecting government and the governed in a sovereign
state. It is a tread recognized and deeply entrenched in the system of
governance in civilized countries. We must borrow a leaf from those who have
trekked the rugged path of democracy and are now reaping the dividend of their
experience.”
The party said in a press
statement signed by its Spokesman, Chris Finebone, that the reason for the ban
could only be that those protesting on the opposite side were now providing
Rivers people and Nigerians better perspectives on the happenings in Rivers
State.
The opposition party argued that
another reason for the ineffectual ban was to scuttle further exposure of the
ills and atrocities of the Rivers State Government under Wike who believed that
pensioners, civil servants, workers of RSSDA and Greater Port Harcourt City
Development Authority and others might soon protest their abandonment and
suffering by the governor since he accidentally got to power in 2015.
The party warned that Wike’s ban
on protest was a simply waste of time and space, saying that the Nigeria Police
could not enforce an illegal ban except the governor intended to deploy his
usual gun-toting hoodlums.
“He should remember that this is
not 2015; this is 2019. If the governor tries it, he will not like the outcome
and he knows it,” APC said.
However, the Police had condoned
off the INEC office on Aba/Port Harcourt Expressway diverting vehicles by GRA
junction through Tombia Street causing serious gridlock.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State
Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised fresh alarm over an
alleged attempt by the APC faction loyal to the Transportation Minister, Rotimi
Amaechi to scuttle the collation and announcement of the results of the March
9, 2019 Governorship and State Assembly elections.
The PDP urged President Muhammadu
Buhari to call the Transportation Minister to order even as the party further
called on the Inspector-General of Police to keep a close tab on the activities
of Amaechi in the State.
The party said it was clear that
the APC was kicking against the government ban on public protests as the ban
would deflate their alleged plans to cause crisis in the State.
“It is now obvious that APC is
angry over the ban on public protests. They had intended to hide under public
protests and use it as a weapon to unleash mayhem on the State which will in
turn scuttle the collation and declaration of the governorship election results
in the State”, the PDP said while urging the APC to be law-abiding rather than
taking the laws into their hands.
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