May 23 Council Polls: Rivers APC Releases List Of Candidates, Accuses PDP Of Plotting To Disrupt Exercise

Source: thewillnigeria.com

BEVERLY HILLS, May 21, (THEWILL) – The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Thursday released the list of its candidates for the Saturday, May 23 Council polls in the state.

This came as the party accused the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of plotting to scuttle the exercise through violent means.

In a statement issued Thursday morning in Port Harcourt by its State Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, the Rivers APC said:

“We have it on good authority that, having failed in its efforts to stop the polls, including the ill-advised boycott of this democratic exercise which has been eagerly embraced by 22 other political parties in the State, the leadership of the State PDP has concluded plans to unleash mayhem on the State prior to and on Saturday, May 23, with a view to violently disrupting the council polls.

“The idea behind the sinister plot is to discredit the polls and lay the blame on APC, portraying the party as the one behind the insecurity in the State. It is also aimed to discredit Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi for going ahead with the constitutionally-approved Local Government elections which the State PDP is desperate to sabotage after chickening out to avoid being disgraced by voters.”

According to Ikanya, the PDP political thugs allegedly imported by PDP leaders have already started arriving the State for the unholy assignment.

“As part of this satanic plot, an assassination attempt was carried out on May 19 against Victor Briggs, an aide to Governor Amaechi, with his Police Escort killed in the process. It is very unfortunate that Rivers PDP should be orchestrating more violence in the State after masterminding the death of over 100 APC supporters in the run-up to, and during the ill-fated elections of March 28 and April 11,” Ikanya said.

The Rivers APC Chairman called on the law enforcement agencies for help, saying: “We wish to once again call on the Police and other security agencies to be proactive this time and prevent the State PDP leadership from carrying out this unprovoked attack against APC members.

“They should act promptly to forestall another orgy of violence by those who have been threatening to cause mayhem in the Niger Delta region due to the ouster of President Goodluck Jonathan from office. This premeditated violence if not nipped in the bud could further lead to a crisis that may negatively affect the transition programme in the State.”

Ikanya however vowed that no amount of intimidation and what he described as the evil machinations of PDP will stop the Saturday polls, saying the party lacks the constitutional right to prevent an exercise designed to promote

democracy at the grassroots level and eagerly accepted by the majority of people of the State.

The APC State Chairman also unveiled the official list of the 22 Chairmanship candidates that will fly the party's flag during the poll .

He counseled the successful candidates that are to fly the flag of the party in the poll to run issue – based and violence – free campaigns, warning that the party will not condone any act of violence in any form.

“We have never been associated with violence and we will never be associated with it no matter the level of provocation or temptation from our opponents,” the Chairman stated.