A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the South-South region, Rotimi Amaechi, has condemned the attack on the party’s ward secretariat in Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Amaechi commended the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for their swift response to the attack.
Suspected thugs, in the early hours of Friday, razed the Ubima Ward 8 ADC secretariat and fired sporadic shots into the gate of the family building of the former minster transport.
The attackers also targeted Amaechi’s convoy in the neighbouring community of Omuawa, using a security vehicle to block the road, preventing the former governor from accessing Ubima.
The path was only cleared following the intervention of the security agencies, particularly the DSS and NSCDC.
Addressing party members and supporters after officially registering them in Ubima ward eight, Amaechi expressed gratitude for the security response but called for the prosecution of those responsible for the attack.
He urged his supporters to remain calm and peaceful as the party sets its sights on the presidency, dismissing the incident as a distraction.
“The rivers state commissioner of police and the director of DSS they should the utmost of professionalism immediately I made contact with them, even the NSCDC all made a swift response to our call and I am grateful to them but they must also know that this cannot continue and the way they must show us that this cannot continue is that they must prosecute all those who are involved in this crime.
“I have been a governor, and I know the consequences of not protecting the lives and properties of people.
“The people will begin to protect their lives by themselves because they don’t want to die, but for now, everybody should calm down, everybody should thank the commissioner of police, the DSS and the commandant of NSCDC.
“Our own is to be calm, to be peaceful as we are marching to Aso Rock. What they are doing is a distraction. What they are doing will not put food on your table. We are hungry. If you are not hungry, tell them I am hungry. People are suffering every day, and a few persons are stealing our money, and they say we should keep quiet; we can no longer keep quiet,” he said.
In a subsequent event, the former Minister of Transportation led stakeholders to commission the party’s State Secretariat on Woji Road in the Government Reserved Area (GRA) of Port Harcourt.
He urged ADC members to disregard the All Progressives Congress (APC) and focus on a massive membership drive, targeting at least ten thousand new registrants per local government area across the State.