Politics

Protester’s Death: Rivers APC Kicks As Police Invite Gov Candidate, Tonye Cole

Published

1 year ago

April 5, 2023

Editor

The Rivers State Police Command on Tuesday invited the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Tonye Cole, for questioning over the death of a Peoples Democratic Party’s supporter who was allegedly shot during a protest in Port Harcourt on Monday.

Supporters of the PDP had protested at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission along Aba Road on Monday, demanding a joint inspection of documents used for the March 18 governorship election but the protest turned violent.

Cole, accompanied by the state APC Chairman, Emeka Beke, and few other party leaders, arrived the GRA junction area of Aba Road on Monday to proceed to the INEC office to keep a date with the promise by the commission for them to inspect the Certified True Copy documents to enable the party proceed to the tribunal.

On hearing that Cole was nearby, the protesters raced towards his direction and pelted him with pure water sachets and stones; but for his security details who shielded him, he could have been mobbed.

Cole in an interview with newsmen later said, “They slapped me, they pushed me, threw stones at me and I was injured on my back.”

A clash ensued between Cole’s security men and the rampaging youths, resulting in indiscriminate gunshots by security operatives to disperse the crowd, even as it was gathered that some thugs also shot indiscriminately and the man was hit in the crossfire.

The injured PDP supporter bled profusely on his left leg and was rushed to the hospital for treatment.

But speaking to our correspondent, the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Sydney Gbara, said the injured man later died in the hospital.

“From the information we are hearing now, the man is dead,” he said.

When contacted, the State Commissioner of Police, Okon Effiong, confirmed in a text response that Cole had been invited, saying, “It is just an invitation.”

On Monday, Cole was seen in a video shouting and calling on the Commissioner of Police to come and rescue him at the APC secretariat, saying some thugs laid siege on the party’s office along Woji Road, GRA, in Port Harcourt.

Meanwhile it was gathered that a formal letter inviting Cole was sent to the state secretariat of the APC.

The State APC Publicity Secretary, Darlington Nwauju, who confirmed that Cole was invited for questioning, questioned why the police had failed to invite the PDP leaders named in the attack on its governorship candidate, Cole.

“It is shocking that the police are inviting our candidate, Cole, for questioning over a said killing. What is the identity of the person killed?

“They attacked and chased us away. They are now inviting him (Cole) for questioning. How? Does it add up?” he queried.

On his part, the State APC Chairman, Chief Emeka Beke, noted that though he had yet to see any invitation, it was laughable, The PUNCH reports.

Beke said, “There were just seven of us and they were many. They did not even allow us to get to the INEC office. Just by the GRA junction, they started attacking us. At what point will anybody kill somebody?”

Related Topics:#Rivers APC Rivers Tonye Cole

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Politics

JUST IN: Ex-PDP Deputy National Chair, Oyedokun Defects To APC

Published

10 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Editor

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun, has resigned his membership of the party and announced defection to the All Progressives Congress.

Oyedokun, a notable personality within the political circle in Osun State and beyond, said he decided to dump the PDP after consultation with his loyalists.

He said he would be joining APC, where his experience, efforts, and leadership roles would be valued and appreciated.

His resignation letter addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP through the ward, local government and state chairmen of the party obtained late Thursday further read, “As a functional member and leader of PDP (Ward 13, Jagun/ Osi-Bale Ode, Odo-Otin South Local Government, Osun State,) whose high electoral productivity and value have been credibly and positively acknowledged in my ward, across the local council, state and country-wide for the enhancement of the fortune of the PDP, I have the honour (though with pain) in announcing the renunciation of my membership of the party on principle, having observed that the ideals of we, founding members, had been sorely contaminated.

“In taking this step which is not even without due consultation with my teaming loyalists in the PDP, I have consequently decided to shift my allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC) where I believe my experience, efforts and leadership roles would be valued and appreciated.”

Oyedokun’s defection to the APC is coming at the time the aspirant he supported during the 2022 Osun governorship primary of PDP, Mr Dotun Babayemi is also moving to the national ruling party.

Osun APC said on Wednesday that Babayemi and his supporters would be dumping PDP and joining the party at a rally scheduled to be held in Osogbo on Friday.
PUNCH

Politics

Poll: APC Has No Sellable Candidate, Nothing To Campaign On – Edo Govt

Published

3 days ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

The Edo State Government claimed on Monday that the All Progressives Congress, APC, has no credible candidate for the September 21 governorship election.

This was an assertion made by the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, at a press conference in Benin City.

Nehikhare also alleged that the party is using lies and propaganda as its campaign strategy.

According to him: “The only APC strategy for the governorship election is to resort to lies and propaganda. When a party takes lies and propaganda as an election strategy, it means it has nothing to offer the people. The party lacks people with character, capacity, and intellect.”

The commissioner who took journalists through a screened shot WhatsApp chat said: “What we have here is the official APC WhatsApp platform, their own people screenshot their discussion. One of them who has a conscience asks, is this the only thing we have?”

Nehikhare, who said APC is ashamed to campaign for its candidate, noted that, as of today, nobody had heard of what the party has for the state.

“All we heard is how they are going to help their paymaster, lies and propaganda that will not help the state,” he added.

He opined that lies and propaganda are not strategies the opposition party, like APC, can use to win the September 21 governorship election.

The commissioner, who warned against misinformation and fake news ahead of the governorship election, urged media practitioners to be neutral in matters concerning lies and propaganda.

He, however, noted that Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration has a lot of achievements to market and sell its candidate for the election.

Politics

Defection: Edo Govt, Ex-PDP BoT Member, Idahosa In Verbal War

Published

4 days ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

Edo State government and a former member of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board of Trustees, Charles Idahosa, on Monday traded words over the latter defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Recall that Idahosa resigned
formally resigned who had last month resigned from PDP, rejoined the APC on Monday in Benin City.

Speaking during his formal presentation to the APC in Benin City, he noted that he left the party four years ago due to internal crisis.

Idahosa added that he dumped the PDP because of what he described as the “damning deeds of the Obaseki-led administration in the last four years”.

He took a swipe at Obaseki for saying that PDP would win the forthcoming September governorship election with 80 per cent of votes.

“I thank God, four years later we all are wiser now. Like the Secretary said, I was a founding member of ACD, ACN and APC. The damage we did four years ago, the APC never remained the same.

“But I am glad we are back to the family. I was nominated to the Board of the Railway when I was in the APC. When I moved to the PDP, I wrote to resign my membership but it was rejected and showed my wide acceptance.

“At 71, I am not here to contest position with anybody, I am here to work. I want to urge APC to keep their eyes on the ball. It is not over until it is over.”

While lambasting Governor Obaseki for his comment that those leaving PDP have been given money, he noted that his greatest regret was not allowing the governor to resign after his first four years in office.

“When he came to beg me like a weather beaten chicken, how much did he give to me? Anytime he goes religious gathering he would say those leaving PDP have been given money.

“He came to me three times in my house to say he wants to resign, that he was tired of being governor but I appealed to him, telling him it was not about him but Benin interest.”

But in a swift reaction, the state Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare alleged that Idahosa was never a PDP member.

Nehikhare noted that Idahosa was also never a BOT member of the party, because the party in the state rejected his nomination.

He alleged that it was as a result of the rejection that he found his way back to APC.

“I heard that he claimed to be a member of BOT of PDP but I want to challenge him to tell us when he was sworn in as a member of PDP BOT. He was not a fit and proper person. Even though he was nominated he was shunned by the party.

“It was this that drove him back to APC which he never left in the first place. He was holding on to the board appointment which was offered him while in APC prior to 2020 governorship election.

“He has reached the end of his political career. He has nothing to offer any political party or any group he joins because he believes in bread and butter politics,” Nehikhare said.