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The faction of the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara has warned the state police command against taking sides in the crisis rocking the party.
The camp also accused the embattled factional chairman of the party, Aaron Chukwuemeka, of flouting the law by illegally occupying the party secretariat, even after a state High Court nullified the ward, local government and state congresses that brought his executive to office.
The acting state chairman of the PDP faction loyal to Governor Fubara, Dr Robinson Ewhor, handed down the warning in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Tuesday night and sent to newsmen.
This followed the continued barricade of the state PDP secretariat along Aba Road by the police after moves by both factions to make their way into the building to assume control.
South-South correspondent however reports that Chukwuemeka, who later found his way into the secretariat, held a press conference while heavily armed policemen mounted a sentry outside the secretariat with their patrol vans, has continued to have unrestricted access to the building under police protection.
However, Dr Ewhor, who also addressed the media at a different location, insisted that Chukwueneka is no longer the party’s chairman in the state following the state High Court judgement delivered by Justice Stephen Jumbo, sacking him and his executive members.
But Chukwuemeka insisted that he was duly elected, saying the Federal High Court judgement delivered by Justice Peter Lifu paved the way for the congress which brought him to office, adding that officials from the party’s national secretariat observed the congress, even as he vowed to appeal the state High Court ruling which he described as “kangaroo and not-executory.”
Ewhor, however, described Chukwuemeka as an impostor laying claim to the position.
Ewhor’s statement reads, “The attention of the Peoples Democratic Party, Rivers State chapter has been drawn to a press briefing hosted by one Aaron Chukwuemeka, an impostor claiming to be chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state.
“Ordinarily, we would have ignored his ignorance vis a vis his claim, but for proper public information.
“We wish to remind Chukwuemeka Aaron and his co-travellers of a subsisting High Court judgment nullifying the purported state, LGAs and ward congresses conducted by his group in Rivers State, using the name of the PDP.
“Even when the congresses were conducted in fragrant disobedience to a court order stopping them, we as law-abiding citizens never interfered in their illegalities until a court of competent jurisdiction declared the purported congresses as a nullity.
“Accordingly, we wish to warn the Chukwuemeka Aaron-led group to respect the ruling of the Honorable Justice of the Rivers State High Court, Port Harcourt and desist from taking the laws into their hands through the continuous occupation of the PDP secretariat, as well as claiming legitimacy to the party’s executive committee and other illegal actions.
“We have noted with concern and disappointment that even when the court’s ruling is of public knowledge, the state police hierarchy still provided cover to such illegitimate so-called PDP executives to perpetrate their illegal act.
“May we therefore use this opportunity to appeal to law enforcement agencies, particularly the Nigerian Police in the state not to take sides in the political imbroglio, but remain apolitical.
“Taking side with a group whose action and inaction contravenes the provision of the law is to confirm that the law enforcement officers are the very ones aiding and abetting lawbreakers in the state.
“As law-abiding citizens, we would like to appeal to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, the Director of State Security, and other relevant security agencies to prevail on their officers and men in Rivers State to operate within the ambit of the law and not to be a party to those orchestrating breach of the law.”
Dr Ewhor appealed to members and supporters of the party to remain calm, and refrain from being provoked by those he termed desperate ‘political merchants,’ who are trying hard to unleash mayhem on innocent law-abiding citizens of Rivers State.
When contacted, the spokesperson of the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said she was in a meeting and asked our report to send a message.
She was yet to respond to the message as of the time of filing this report on Tuesday evening.
