12th January, 2015
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
The Rivers state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the destruction of a building accommodating the Local Government Council office of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Okrika and called on security agencies to ensure perpetrators of such needless action are brought to book.
The party said it received the news with sadness and believes that whoever carried out such reckless act may have done it out of ill-conceived motive, not germane to democratic principles, appealing to all politicians to play politics with love, tolerance and fairness.
The PDP also frowned at the early statement credited to the APC guber candidate, Dakuku Peterside, alleging that PDP supporters were responsible for the action, describing Peterside’s claim as premature.
In a statement signed by Jerry Needam, media aide to Felix Obuah, the chairman of the party in the state urged the police to conduct wider investigations into the incident.
The PDP further calls on the police and other security agencies to intensify their operations in tracking down those destroying its campaign materials and those of the party’s guber candidate, Nyesom Wike, and condemns Dakuku Peterside for hastily blaming the PDP for the Okrika APC office destruction.
PDP reiterates its commitment to violence free campaigns and free and fair elections, noting that, like President Goodluck Jonathan said, no personal ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian citizen, and also calling on all political gladiators to conduct themselves in a most democratic and civilized manner before, during and after the general elections.