The Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) has set up a 9-man panel of inquiry to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the attack on its secretariat, allegedly bombed two months ago.

The state’s APC Chairman, Tony Okocha, said the setting up of the panel was necessary because the incident at the APC secretariat was not considered heinous enough to be included in the panel set up by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

He said, “You will recall that APC went to court to challenge the charade local government elections before it was conducted. Not after. A judgment was obtained. We served both the order and the judgment of the court on them (Government), and we gave the same to the press.

“Because they are not law-abiding, the governor led a team of thugs to the RSIEC office and said there was a tipoff that the police were going to take over RSIEC. He did that in the night. He threatened that the police should leave, stating that he had his own personal security that would supervise the elections in the 319 wards of Rivers State.”

Okocha recalled how the APC secretariat was bombed in the early morning of October 5, hours before the local government elections.

He said, “As members of the media, you came here and interviewed us when they bombed our secretariat. Beyond that, we approached the Nigerian Police Force to intimate them.

“The DPO that came here with his team moved around. They saw the items that were destroyed. In the process of moving around, they discovered an IED that did not explode.

“The governor appointed a panel to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the burning of some LG secretariats in the state. When we heard the names, we immediately informed the governor that our secretariat was bombed and should have been included in the list.

“We also reminded the governor that the edifice housing the Rivers State House of Assembly was pulled down. There was a fire. The next morning, the governor was seen supervising the pulling down of the Assembly. His thought was that pulling down the Assembly would not provide an avenue for the House of Assembly members to meet. It was at his behest that the House of Assembly was first set on fire and then hurriedly procured an order mandating him to pull down the edifice.

“The governor said APC can go to hell. As a party, we will not go to hell. We heard that people were served notice. But you cannot shave my hair in my absence. We are here to tell Nigerians that we are still pained. We have agreed to set up our own panel of inquiry. The panel will extend invitations to everybody necessary; nobody is above the law.”

This development comes a few days after Governor Siminalayi Fubara received the report of the Justice Ibiwengi Minakari judicial commission of inquiry and promised that the government would implement all the recommendations according to the law of the state.

The panel includes Kelechi Nworgu as chairman, Bethel Samson, Darlington Dike, Barr Rex Nworgu, Hon. Abibo Tammy Bereniye, Dr. Theressa Chima, Dr. Eunice Gam, Prince A. Obene, and Vincent Gbosi as members.

The panel is expected to submit its report within one month for possible legal actions against any indicted culprit in the attack on October 5.