Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Senator Magnus Abe, representing Rivers South East Senatorial District has lashed at the former governor of Rivers and incumbent Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi over his description of those who protested at All Progressives Congress , APC secretariat on Friday and allegedly destroyed properties in the building as “thugs and hoodlums”.
Senator Abe who is eyeing the governorship ticket of the party said it was hyprocritical and uncharitable for the former the governor to describe the angry party supporters who protested against alleged injustices as hoodlums.
He reminded Amaechi that it was the same people who protested at the Rivers State House of Assembly when five lawmakers attempted to impeach him when he was a governor.
The Senator lamented that those being described as thugs today were once described as the heroes of the party: “When we had issues before this were the same party members that barricaded the Judiciary for him.Then they were not thugs and they were not hoodlums.
“These were the same members of the party who barricaded the Rivers Assembly Complex when five lawmakers wanted to impeached him. Then they were not thugs and hoodlums.Then they were heroes fighting for democracy and fighting for what is right.
“These were the same people who were almost killed, including myself at the Rivers State Arts and Science Complex”Abe said
Abe had earlier said that there no APC Ward Congress held in the 23 local government areas of the state.
However,in a swift reaction, Chairman of APC Ward Congress Committee, Joseph Dogo,said there are documented evidence to show that Ward Congresses wee held in the 23 local government areas of the state.
Joseph Dogo stated this shortly after coallating the results of Ward Congresses in the 23 local government areas of the state.
According to Dogo”He who alleges must prove. But on our own we have docunentary evidences, facts and figures.We pictures and video clips and there are contradiction at all.We stand that there was an election.”
He stated that he and members of his Committee went round the wards, including those under the jurisdiction of Senator Abe and the turnout was not only massive, it was more of a carnival of party members who queued and voted peacefully.
Meanwhile, both the Senator Andrew Uchendu, representing Rivers East Senatorial Dristrict and Dr Dakuku Peterside, Director General of Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency,NIMASA, and former Governorship Candidate of APC in 2015 have hailed the peaceful conduct of the Ward Congress in the state.