Police Take-Over Of Akwa Ibom Assembly: Danger Looms – PDP
BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised alarm over what it described as “a looming danger, imminent violence and breakdown of law and order” in Akwa-Ibom state as well as other littoral states.
The party noted that the development followed attempts by President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC), to forcefully take over control of these states.
The PDP specifically warned the Buhari Presidency and the APC to bear in mind that their plot to forcefully take over Akwa-Ibom or any other PDP-controlled state will be firmly resisted by the people of those states.
It also pointedly said that such may lead to a crisis of unprecedented magnitude that has the capacity of truncating the nation’s hard-earned democracy.
National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, who stated this at a press conference in Abjua on Wednesday explained that two weeks ago, the PDP cautioned the Buhari Presidency and the APC on their exposed plot to instigate confusion and violence in Bayelsa state by destabilizing the security architecture of the state and foisting a siege mentality on the entire oil rich South-south region.
Ologbondiyan said that instead of retracing their steps, the Buhari Presidency and the APC have continued to design heinous machinations and issuing threats of violent takeover of these states, for which they have now directed their arsenals particularly on Akwa-Ibom state.
He said Nigerians are all witnesses to volatile outbursts by the Buhari Campaign Organization and APC leaders and their use of violent images and outright threats of war on Akwa-Ibom state.
The PDP spokesman further said; “Nigerians are invited to recall the violent and ominous outburst by the former Governor of Akwa-Ibom state, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who vowed that the APC will take over the state the same way Hitler overran Poland, swearing that “war shall see Warsaw and Warsaw shall see war” in Akwa-Ibom state.
“Given that this statement is the policy of the APC and the Buhari Presidency against Akwa-Ibom and other parts of our nation, where they are not in control, the President, as chief security officer of our nation, never issued a reprimand nor has Senator Akpabio been pulled in for questioning by security agencies.
“It is now clear that the statement is an approved prelude of a pre-meditated plot by the Buhari Presidency and the APC to initiate, facilitate and superintend a mayhem and bloodletting in the peaceful and developing Akwa-Ibom, irrespective of the huge human and material damage such could cause in the state.”
Ologbondiyan said that part of the plot is the forceful attempt to take over control of the Akwa-Ibom state legislature, for which the Presidency and the APC have been sponsoring the invasion of the House of Assembly complex and seeking ways to violently oust the duly elected leadership of the state assembly
In his words; “Only recently, the factional National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, who has been under fire over allegations of corruption, threatened and directly accused the erstwhile Akwa-Ibom Commissioner of Police, John Abang of refusing to carry out APC’s orders to provide security cover that will enable three legally sacked members of the 26-member legislature to effect a change of leadership.
“The PDP has information of how the APC hierarchy thereafter, ordered the Inspector General of Police, who in compliance, summarily redeployed CP John Abang and replaced him with a new CP, Hyelasinda Musa Kimo.
“It is needless to say that Mr. Abang spent just one month as CP and had to be removed for not carrying out APC’s atrocious directive. Since the arrival of CP Kimo, there has been mounting tension and escalated siege mentality in Akwa-Ibom state, particularly in the state legislature where thugs, backed by the police, have been invading the premises, disrupting legislative activities, harassing staff members and hindering them from performing their responsibilities.”
The PDP stressed that the recourse to self-help, against declarative judgment by competent court of jurisdiction sacking the three lawmakers, is a deliberate attempt to instigate violence, foist a reign of terror, cause confusion and create an impression that the state has become ungovernable.
“This is with a view to opening the way for a declaration of a state of emergency, which will enable them dismantle all democratic structures and forcefully take over control of the state.
“This is because the people of Akwa-Ibom state will never allow anybody, no matter how highly placed, to overrun their state or in any way attempt to foist an undemocratic leadership over them and no amount of intimidation or force will make them change this resolve.”
The PDP therefore charges President Buhari and the APC to be ready to take full responsibility for any breakdown of law and order as direct consequences of the people’s resistance to their plot to forcefully take over control of Akwa-Ibom or any of the PDP-controlled states.
