Buhari, Amaechi visit injured APC members A former Head of State and presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, on Wednesday visited seven injured members of the party at the Kesley Harrison Hospital in Port Harcourt. The injured members of the APC, who were on their way to the inauguration of the Buhari presidential campaign at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Igwurita-Ali, Ikwerre Local government Area, were attacked by suspected gunmen in Asari-Toru and Khana local government areas of Rivers State. Buhari was on the visit with the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the party’s governorship candidate in the state, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, and a former governor of Anambra State, Senator Chris Ngige. Addressing newsmen after the visit to the injured APC members, Amaechi, who is also the Director General of the Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Organisation, urged President Goodluck Jonathan to caution members of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party. Amaechi specifically appealed to the President to prevail on the PDP not to unleash violence on the APC supporters in Rivers State and across the country. He also expressed the need for President Jonathan to condemn the attack on members of the APC by the PDP thugs, saying, “Imagine that the President goes to campaign in Katsina or in Kano and his convoy is attacked…” Amaechi said, “We will condemn it. In the same manner, we expect that the President and the Peoples Democratic Party to condemn this violence that has been visited on us by their members and we expect that they should be able to control their members. “The President can’t be promising us free, fair and violence-free elections with this kind of thing going on. If he says violence-free election, and here we have already experienced violence, what is he expecting us to do?” Amaechi pointed out that it was necessary for the President and Commander-in-Chief to provide security for all Nigerians, irrespective of the party he belonged to. Also, the state APC governorship candidate, Peterside, expressed dissatisfaction over the attack by the PDP supporters. He added that the only way for Nigerians to trust President Jonathan on peaceful elections was for the President to publicly condemn these attacks and ensure they did not recur. “Again, it is one thing to share your philosophy, it is another thing to see your people go clearly against what you believe in and you are doing nothing about it. I am optimistic that the President and his team and members of his party, the PDP, will come out strongly and condemn this act of violence visited on members of the APC in Rivers State,” He said his party, the APC believed in peaceful polls and using peaceful means to realise political gains. Meanwhile, the Rivers State chapter of the PDP has denied involvement in the alleged shooting of some members of persons, claimed to be members of the APC in the state. The state PDP described members of the APC as pathological lairs, regretting that the state Governor, Amaechi, and the Dakuku Peterside Campaign Organisation had kept lying against the PDP in the name of criticism. But a statement signed by the Special Adviser, Media, to the State Chairman, Mr. Jerry Needam, declared that the gunmen that shot members of the APC were not PDP members. Copyright PUNCH.All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: editor@punchng ift.tt/1BAMZjv ift.tt/13Yn5J5 [[Boost your social presence with NAIRALIKES nairalikes ]] #nigeria x #nairalikes #vanguardng
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 23:26:57 +0000
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