The Rivers State Police Command has taken control of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Secretariat in Rivers State over a brewing leadership crisis.

The Guardian on Thursday slighted about four police vans stationed around the party secretariat along the Aba/Port-Harcourt express road, in Port Harcourt.

Also, personnel of the special squad of the tactical unit of the State Police command were seen condoning off the premises.

The armed police personnel barricaded access to the secretariat and restricted movements within the area.

Consequently, the development caused serious gridlocks along the Aba road forcing motorists and other road users to take alternative routes.

The police action followed a suspected fear of a deepening crisis in the PDP leadership in Rivers.

After the Rivers State High Court judgment that nullified the Ward, local government, and state congresses, the PDP Faction loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, led by Robinson Ewor, announced that the judgment has returned the party structure to them, the original owners of the party with moves to take over the party secretariat.

However, the sacked PDP Chairman, Chukwuemeka Aaron, and his group, argued that his faction was still in charge, saying that they were not a party to the court judgement that nullified the purported congresses.

Accordingly, the police explained that they are currently occupying the PDP Secretariat to prevent a possible breakdown of law and order.

Addressing newsmen, Ewor disclosed that a copy of the judgment has been transmitted to the party’s national secretariat, adding that its assumption of office as Acting State and Local Government Executives has also been communicated to the national while they await further developments.

He also stated that security agencies aware of its group’s position to reclaim the Party Secretariat advised them to halt the process to maintain peace.

Ewor said, “In line with the peaceful disposition of the Leader of the Party in the State,Governor Siminalayi Fubara, we have resolved to allow good reasoning to prevail and call off the planned takeover of the PDP State Secretariat today”

He, however, appealed to its teeming supporters and party faithful to remain calm as they take necessary steps to assume control of the Party Secretariat.

“Under our leadership, we shall immediately commence steps toward healing and rebuilding our once-great Party, which was battered, with hope lost across the State, 23 Local Government Areas, and 319 electoral wards. We shall make the PDP Rivers State Chapter great again,” he said.

“To achieve this, we shall consult all critical stakeholders of the Party, to unite members and work with all to restore the already lost hope.

“We shall embark on a sensitization tour across the 23 LGAs and initiate a membership drive to boost the Party’s population for future elections. In the coming days, we shall also set up a “Disciplinary Committee” to address issues of anti-party activities, particularly during the 2023 General Elections and beyond, and any other activities by members that could bring the Party into disrepute.”

On his part, Chukwuemeka insisted that due process was followed in the conduct of the congresses but noted that their legal team would appeal the judgement.

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He accused the governor of being behind the brewing leadership crisis in the party and appealed to him to be an instrument of peace rather than an agent of destruction.

Also, the State PDP Legal adviser, Kingsley Chukwuma, said, the party has taken proper steps to address the issues.

“It is not possible to take over the state office. Police are all over here, we applied to the police for protection of the PDP complex, applied to the court to get the judgment to enable us to get all the proceedings and file our documents,” he said.