Magnus Abe and Rotimi Amaechi: Two APC chieftains at war

Okafor Ofiebor /Port-Harcourt

Senator Magnus Abe, representing Rivers South East has vowed that the vandalization of the state Secretariat of the faction of All Progressives Congress, APC, loyal to him by hoodlums will not truncate the planned official opening.

Abe, who spoke in Bori, headquarters of Khana local Government Council area at the weekend told his supporters that journey they are embarking on is a journey to government house as governor of Rivers state.

He condemned the attack and vandalization of the factional party Secretariat, describing it as an unlawful act aimed at intimidation of his supporters while vowing that at an appointed date, the factional Secretariat will be opened.

According to Senator Abe, “Our journey is a journey to the Bricks House of Rivers State. No amount of guns, no amount of intimidation will stop us from what we are doing. So, don’t respond to frustrated people. When they shoot at you, dodge, but we must make sure that we have people around who will make it impossible for them to shoot at you.

“So, the day we will open the office, I don’t want to announce it here, because I have to meet with the party chairman and find out from him.

The party Chairman is Chief Peter Odike. The day he will open the office, I will be there. Will you be there? Will you be there? So, we will be there!, Abe said while speaking with his supporters.

Abe warned, “Those people who think that they can intimidate us, they make me laugh. If they know how determined we are, if they know how committed we are, if they know how much we are prepared for this journey, they will not even bother. They will not even bother.”

However, Dr Dakuku Peterside, the Director General of Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency, NIMASA, and the former Governorship candidate of APC, has absolved the Minister of Transportation and former Governor Chibuike Amaechi and state party Chairman, from the attack on the factional party Secretariat.

“I acknowledge that there are issues within the party that the national leadership is handling, but that does not warrant opening a parallel state Secretariat. It is worse for hoodlums to violently attack the factional Secretariat. Our leader Amaechi has been known for more than two decades as a believer in exercising our rights in the temple of justice and the rule of law”, NIMASA boss stated.

Dakuku Peterside also advised “My brother Distinguished Senator should also look inwards because from unconfirmed reports that I learnt that some of his members are at loggerheads over contracts awarded to them by NDDC”.

He called on security agencies to track down the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

Some unidentified hoodlums on Saturday attacked the factional Secretariat pulling down the APC flags and poles, doors and ceiling etc.

More condemnations have continued to trail the attack

Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, an elder statesman and Spokesman of Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF and retired officer of the State Security Service, SSS, and former Security Adviser to former Governor Dr Peter Odili has condemned the invasion of the Secretariat.

He said he was shocked to hear how the parallel APC Secretariat was attacked along Aba road and destroyed by faceless thugs in the early hours of Saturday, 11  August, 2018.

He said the unholy and barbaric actions of attacking and destroying opponent buildings and facilities in the name of politics is not acceptable, but rather condemnable.

“I totally condemn it and also call on all and sundry to join me in condemning this shameful act. Politics is all about ideas, manifesto and programmes and in democracy we are not all expected to follow, accept or tow a single opinion, idea or instruction. We are at liberty to form our opinions and propagate our views.

Someone disagree with you is not enough to take the laws into your hands and carry out this shameful and faceless act.

“There is no permanent friend or enemy in politics. Your friend today might turn out to be your greatest enemy, likewise your enemy might turn out to be your best friend. This type of politics will never grow the State at all. It will rather take us back in our political, economic and social development. It will also not help the people of the State, Niger Delta region and the country at large so let us stop this nonsense and think of how we will attract good governance into the State and the country at large, “Anabs Sarah Igbe said.

Riotous troops of the Nigerian Army sized Maiduguri Airport for about two hours on Sunday evening in protest against their deployment to Marte, one of the towns in Borno State, liberated by the military several years ago from the control of Boko Haram terrorists.

The troops barricaded some section of the airport and fired shots in the air, causing pandemonium, as hundreds of pilgrims waiting to be airlifted to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, scampered for safety.

Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, Deputy Director Public Relations, Operation Lafiya Dole Theatre Command confirmed in a statement that the protest by the troops happened while the command was conducting a redeployment of soldiers at the Maiduguri Airport.

He added that the deployment followed a directive to review troops’ deployment in Maiduguri metropolis, to reinvigorate the security architecture of the city.

According to him, few of the troops who misunderstood the development and erroneously assumed it was going to negatively affect their rotation from the theatre of operation became agitated and reacted by firing into the air.

But according to New Agency of Nigeria, the aggrieved soldiers claimed they had overstayed and were resisting redeployment to Marte.

The protesters are part of the special force deployed to provide air defence and enhance security at the airport.

The agency quoted one of the protesting soldiers who spoke under condition of anonymity, as saying the planned deployment was against the directives by the Army Headquarters.

“The army special forces deployed to the airport were not trained to engage in ground battle rather trained to provide air defence.

“Our task is to provide air defence. Alas, special forces trained to fight ground battle are stationed in Maiduguri and we are deployed to go and die in Marte”.

Another soldier lamented that the troops have overstayed in the Northeast fighting Boko Haram, despite the rotation order by the military authorities.

He said many of them have spent over three years in the battle field.

“Some troops of Operation Lafiya Dole were deployed and worked for over three years in the theatre and not rotated as against the directives by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai.

“The command is directed to redeploy soldiers back to their bases after spending stipulated time in the theatre of operation.

“We have spent over three years in the northeast and we should be transferred out of the northeast and not within”.