Police and APC Provide Conflicting Accounts at the Rivers Rally

During the rally at the Ojukwu Townhall in Port Harcourt’s Rumuwoji neighbourhood, there were reportedly a few explosions.

The capital of Rivers State, Port Harcourt, hosted an All Progressives Congress (APC) rally earlier on Thursday at the Rumuwoji playground.

During the rally at the Ojukwu Townhall in Port Harcourt’s Rumuwoji neighbourhood, there were reportedly a few explosions.

Five persons were hurt, according to Darlington Nwauju, the APC’s state spokesman, who claimed a bomb explosion rocked the event. Hope Isaac, Paul Oghonemu, Felicia Gogo, Amba Frank, and Gift Angela were the names he provided for the injured.

He bemoaned the use of shady tactics to thwart the party’s campaigns in the state, referring to the episode as another another dark chapter in Rivers democracy.

The Rivers State Police Command, however, responded quickly to refute the APC’s assertions. The spokesman for the Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed that there had been a “fracas” within the community regarding the formula for dividing the payment made to them for renting the playground, but she insisted that it had nothing to do with the APC or its rally.

The police claimed that the conflict occurred between internal divisions within the aforementioned village and not between members of the APC and any other political party.

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“The APC rally, which concluded peacefully, was unaffected by the violence. Neither before nor during the demonstration was there an explosion. The Commissioner of Police has, however, directed the DC State CID and O/C Bomb Disposal Unit to investigate and confirm the veracity of the rumour that is currently circulating on social media, according to the police.

Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate, responded by declaring that “violence and anti-democratic manifestations should have no place in this election.”

“Elections are not a life-or-death event, but rather a chance to strengthen our faith in democracy by deciding who will lead us through adult suffrage.

“We had expressed our outrage over the acts of violence that had been committed against our party in several places because we did not want them to continue if those responsible for anti-democratic activities were not held accountable.

“The explosion at the APC rally in Port Harcourt has finally confirmed our worst worries. It is detested,” he remarked.

Atiku urged security organisations to make sure that those responsible for the crime are brought to justice.