Declare a state of emergency in River state - APC chieftain

The publicity secretary of the Ondo state chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency in Rivers state – Abayomi Adesanya stressed that a state of emergency was necessary in order to stop the political violence in the state.

Abayomi Adesanya, the publicity secretary of the Ondo state chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency in Rivers state, Daily Post reports. 

The APC chieftain, in a statement on Sunday, March 13, stressed that a state of emergency was necessary in order to stop the political violence and breakdown of law and order in the state.

He said: “The rate at which innocent people are being killed and burnt alive in the name of politics is saddening, barbaric and worrisome. Provocative statements credited to Governor Nyesom Wike are worsening the situation. 

These statements are capable of causing confusion, leading to the breakdown of law and order in the state. “It is obvious that Governor Wike has lost control of the state. As the chief security officer of the state, his primary duty is to secure lives of the people in the state but he has failed to do this. The crisis in Rivers State could have ended if not for the unwillingness of “powerful people” in government in the state.

In another development, Governor Nyesom Wike has dismissed allegations that the recent killings in Rivers state have been politically motivated and targeted at members of the APC. The governor disclosed this while swearing in Justice Iyayi Lamikanra as the substantive chief judge of the state. According to Wike, the recent killings are clashes of rival cult groups fighting for supremacy. He assured people of the state that the clashes have nothing to do with politics ahead of the rerun election scheduled for March 19.