Police avert APC, PDP supporters’ clash in Rivers

A bloody clash between All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supporters was averted by the police yesterday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Hundreds of APC supporters in the early hours converged on the party’s secretariat along Forces Avenue from where they began a procession to the Government House in protest against the refusal of the leadership of the House of Assembly to swear in two lawmakers, Victoria Nyeche, representing Port Harcourt City 1 Constituency and Andrew Miller, representing Opobo/Nkoro Constituency, who were elected on its platform.

Owing to intelligence report that PDP supporters had also mobilised to storm the House of Assembly to counter the APC members, policemen were deployed around the Government House along Azikiwe Road down towards the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) office and the State High Court.

As the APC supporters got to the roundabout leading to the Government House, policemen prevented them from getting to its main entrance.

To avoid a possible confrontation between PDP members who were already around the House of Assembly and the approaching APC supporters, the police fired tear-gas canisters to disperse them and in the process injured several persons.

Policemen led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Steven Hasso, also allegedly assaulted a journalist, Mr. Ekikere Udom of Channels Television.

Amid the teargas, supporters of PDP led by the publicity secretary of the party in the state, Samuel Nwanosike, made their way into the House of Assembly where they were received by the speaker, Adams Dabatorudima.

Nwanosike, who denied that their solidarity visit was intended to counter the protest by members of the opposition APC, called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to investigate the attack on them by his men.

A statement by Governor Nyesom Wike’s press secretary, Simeon Nwakaudu, had accused the police of a breach of security and threat to the peace by allowing APC supporters to storm the Government House, Port Harcourt.

He described as despicable an alleged physical assault on the Chief Security Officer of Government House by the policemen.

But the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Francis Odesanya, told The Guardian that his men never invaded the Government House but rather they took proactive measures to ensure that both the APC and PDP supporters did not meet and clash.