Dagogo: Rivers Federal lawmaker still in police detention – Aide

Member representing Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency of Rivers State and a 2023 governorship aspirant, Hon. Farah Dagogo, is still in police detention.

The update was contained in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ibrahim Lawal, which was sent to newsmen on Sunday, saying the lawmaker who was arrested on 28th April, 2022 was to deny him from being screened for Rivers governorship race on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The statement insisted that there was no disruption of the screening exercise even when Hon. Dagogo was declared wanted by Governor Nyesom Wike the previous day, 27th April, 2022, adding that the lawmaker was being detained on spurious charges.

The statement said: “There was no disruption of the screening exercise for the National and House of Assembly aspirants as the exercise went on smoothly from around 3pm April 27th, 2022 to the following day around 3am, April 28th, 2022. Aspirants vying for both National and State Assembly have come out openly to say there was no disruption as they all did their screening successful.

“The matter that is of greater concern to us now is the safety of Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo. We have it on good authority that the Camp Commandant to the Governor, Efeturi Irikefe, who led the supposed arrest, attempted to shoot Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo inside the vehicle that was transporting him to their destination on that fateful day, April 28th, 2022. It took restrain from others, who struggled with the Camp Commandant telling him ‘THAT WAS NOT THE MISSION NOW’ before he calmed down. Whatever that statement means, we still do not know.

“Our earlier position stands, Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo life is still in danger. Governor Nyesom Wike and his goons should be responsible for any thing that happens to Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo.

“The shooting incident recorded outside the Party’s State Secretariat at Aba Road was orchestrated by Efeturi Irikefe, the Camp Commandant to the Governor, with the intent to pinpoint it on Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo, which is manifesting through his unlawful remand in Police custody.

“The allegations were all smokescreen to put Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo in captivity. For now, they can continue celebrating their pyrrhic victory.

“Concerned citizens and others are worried and perplexed as to why the Camp Commandant to the Governor has not been arrested. It was the Camp Commandant sporadic shooting that was the only incident that day. That shooting qualifies as a breach of the peace and up till now that Camp Commandant has not been brought in for questioning.

“Another question is what was the Camp Commandant doing at the National and State Assembly aspirants screening exercise on April 27th, 2022 and also at the Governorship screening on April 28th, 2022.

“However, as a law-abiding Federal Lawmaker, who was not at the PDP’s Party Secretariat for the National and State Assembly aspirants screening exercise , because he was a Governorship aspirant, could be whisked away by the Camp Commandant at the venue of the PDP Governorship screening exercise in Port Harcourt without any arrest warrant.

“We are also aware that Governor Nyesom Wike is not unrelenting in his persecution goals. He is trying to further set up Hon. Doctor Farah with other trump up charges of Murder, bunkering and other nefarious activities,having seen his first plan failed woefully. Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo is a refined gentleman, a Federal Lawmaker of high repute with untainted integrity.

“This is for the attention of all lovers of democracy.

“Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo is fully aware of the massive show of love and solidarity, he is emphatically grateful and humbled.

“This is a fight between light and darkness. Rivers people and Nigerians have chosen the path of light.

“These are clear crude moves to take him out of the Governorship race and make him emotionally and psychologically distressed with all these manifestly unjustifiable clampdown.

“Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo remains unshakable in his Governorship pursuit and more than resolved to continue speaking against injustice and tyranny. He is facing all this travail because he picked up the Governorship Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms. He was at the State Assembly, he is now a Federal Lawmaker but on receipt of the Governorship form, he is now being termed ‘sponsor’ of cultists. This also speaks volume of the dictatorial tendencies of Governor Nyesom Wike who does not welcome dissenting views”, the statement concluded.