DIRECTOR-GENERAL (DG) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council in Rivers State, Dr. Abiye Sekibo,has raised alarm over an attempt to assassinate him Thursday night in Port Harcourt.
Sekibo, a former transport minister, told newsmen at his Port Harcourt home that gunmen in police uniform opened fire on his vehicle, a bullet proof Toyota Land Cruiser at the Rainbow Town in Port Harcourt while inspecting venue of 11 February PDP presidential rally in Rivers, after rejecting Governor Nyesom Wike’s reapproval of a stadium for the event.
Sharing photos of the jeep with a front tyre flattened and a back window glass shattered, the Rivers DG for the Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign council narrated that the gunmen riddled his car with bullets after first setting the venue of the proposed rally on fire.
He said, “At about 11:30 pm to midnight, I received a call, and the caller said, the equipment at the site being prepared for the PDP Presidential rally are on fire. I decided to go there and see for myself. I left my house with three police men.
“The location is Rainbow Town by Amadi-Ama. As we approached the site, we saw a line up of Police Hilux vehicles on the right side of the road and the Policemen were looking at the fire.
“As we got close, and about to tell my driver to stop so I can talk to the Policemen, next thing we saw was that those Policemen who were watching the fire, opened fire on my vehicle, I quickly told my driver to keep going and not stop. We were shot from all sides as we were escaping.
“As they were firing guns at us, I looked at the hilux vehicles, they were police vehicles attached to the Governor of Rivers State. They shot one of our front tyres, it became difficult for us to move, I had to ask the driver to clear by a filling station at Trans-Amadi.
“He cleared inside the petrol station, while we were there tying to figure out what happened and how to leave the area, behold the five hilux vehicles drove passed us, heading the direction of Ada-Goerge.
“This is what our state has been reduced to. The site was being prepared. This Governor (Wike) who said he was giving us the Stadium to use, cannot stand the site of another site being prepared for a campaign rally he does not want to hold?
“He sent Policemen attached to him to go and destroy equipment clearing the place. As we speak, he has barricaded the place with Government House police, to ensure that media men did not get to the venue to video, record the burning equipments. Wike wants anarchy in Rivers State.”
Act carried out by thugs -Police
Confirming the development, Rivers State Police Command which has ordered investigation into the alleged assassination attempt on Sekibo said the act was carried out by thugs.
Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, “There was a distress call to the control room at about 2am on Friday, 10th February 2023, that Dr Abiye Sekibo was attacked by suspected thugs along Intel in the Rainbow axis of Port-Harcourt.
“On the basis of the call, Six patrol teams were immediately mobilized to the scene. By the time the teams arrived, the suspected thugs had fled.
“Nonetheless, the teams remained to forestall further destruction. Meanwhile, normalcy has returned, and the Rivers State Commissioner of Police has ordered investigation into the incident.”
Why Sekibo is acting a clear fiction -Nwuke
Ogbonna Nwuke, Spokesman, Rivers PDP Campaign Council, said, “Sekibo, once Secretary to the Rivers State Government, should know that Government House Security are not involved in operations outside protection of the Governor and Government House.
“Sekibo is sharing pictures to newsmen from the comfort on his home, claiming he was attacked in a Rainbow Town space he was preparing for a presidential rally. Given the veracity of his claim, he does not consider it expedient to take the newsmen to the said venue where he so narrowly escaped assassination.
“The puerile excuse is that Wike’s security details are laying ambush for newsmen who would dare visit the said scene of alleged attack. That’s because he knows if you go round Rainbow Town the ground he claims is not fit to contain a presidential rally.
“And so Sekibo should the world that presidential rally venue he chose to go and inspect late in the night. Rivers State Government released a stadium to use for the said rally. His people have refused the offer because they know they can’t attract the kind of crowd required to make a political statement with a Rivers rally.
“And so the excuse is to stage a bogus attack to hype the illusion that the State Government does not want the rally to hold. Sekibo should tell the world, how did he escape from a bullet proof vehicle so riddled with bullets, front tyre burst, without his or his own security details sustaining a scratch.
“If you look at the pictures he shared, it’s obvious those were daytime shots, not in the midnight scene he claim. Assuming without conceding to his claims how was he so composed in the alleged melee to have have taken those shot?
“For me, this is rascality, falsehood and desperation taken too far. This unnecessary tension is ridiculous. Politicians should face the people to prove their popularity instead of creating diversionary tactics. I don’t believe Sekibo was attacked, but we have to wait for what the outcome of investigations by the appropriate authorities.
“But the glaring point seems that the man is looking for excuses to defend his failures for the responsibility he has been assigned. Think of it. You heard a venue you are preparing is on fire. And he left his home, unfeeling there could be danger, to go and see for yourself.
“Then you saw, even recognised people who were armed from where you were, not very close to the, and assumed those vehicles were from Government House in his own account. It is possible they don’t want to hold the rally in Rivers. If somebody has released money to them for the rally and they don’t want it held, it’s entirely their business. But there is a limit to hustle.”
You must use the stadium I approved – Wike to PDP PCC
Reflecting on the development at Alode Town, during the campaign rally by Rivers PDP for Eleme Local Government Area, Governor Nyesom Wike insisted Friday that the Atiku campaign rally be held at the stadium has approved for the PDP PCC.
Wike said: “Abiye Sekibo led thugs around midnight to go to Trans Amadi, a land that belongs to Rivers State and with Lee Maeba, brought bulldozers to start grading the place, that is where they want to use for presidential rally tomorrow. I said no, go back to stadium. You said you have people, then you must go there (stadium).
The Governor said it is apparent that the so called PCC members were evading use the stadium because they do not have the capacity to mobilise the crowd for such venue, insisting they must use the stadium for their rally and if they required further logistic support and service, he will gladly oblige them.
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