River state in disarray as the leaders of the All Progressive Congress of Rivers State has called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara to retract his statement that the State lacks elders with the moral authority and political experience to mediate between the feuding parties.
The members of the opposition party additionally demand that the Governor take steps to convene a meeting of elders and key stakeholders to focus on the restoration of peace in Rivers State.
In a statement released by the APC leaders on Monday,they called on the Governor’s intervention on several growing concerns.
The leaders of the APC noted with growing concern that Security agencies and police have sealed the gates of all 23 council headquarters, denying access even to staff while the presence of non-state actors openly brandishing sophisticated weapons on the streets of Port Harcourt is another major issue.
They said “. is it normal that non-state actors brandish sophisticated ammunitions on the streets of port harcourt in full glare and harass, intimidate, maim innocent citizens and residents of port harcourt and its environs and forcefully dispossess them of their hard-earned property and belonging”
Furthermore the APC describes the state of fear and uncertainty about the future in Rivers State. They stated the emotional toll on families affected by violence, such as the family of a police officer in Omuma LGA, vigilante personnel, and a young man in Ahoada East LGA and demands accountability from the government.
“What will the family of the non-aligned slain police officer at omuma lga be feeling? What about the vigilante personnel? What of the young man of ahoada east lga? What is the root cause? Whose fault? Was it avoidable?
Additionally, they urge the governor to avoid promoting ethnic discrimination and to restrict provocative chants that could incite violence amongst the people. They said “can the governor not continue to promote ethnic chauvinism? can the chant of asawana! be restricted to when the people meet to discuss their common concerns in their closets and not provoke identity to conscientize for war?”
The APC seeks the intervention of the Governor to bring stability and peace back to Rivers State.
