Peterside Visits APC Victims Of Gun Attack, Warns PDP Against Violence On Rivers People
Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, has paid a sympathy visit to supporters of the party shot last Tuesday by gunmen suspected to be working for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who are under intensive care at the Kesley Harrison Hospital, Port Harcourt.
The APC supporters were shot at 3 different locations while on their way to the Adokiye Amiesimaka Sports Complex, Port Harcourt for the APC Presidential Rally. Dr. Peterside pledged the continued support of APC in providing them world-class care and treatment. “We have visited to sympathise with them and to assure them that we are with them all the way”, Dr. Peterside said.
While expressing gratitude to God that no life was lost, Dr. Peterside described the attack as an “unfortunate trend” that should not be allowed to continue. Peterside, who tasked President Goodluck Jonathan to exercise proper check on his followers and supporters, expressed confidence that the 2015 general elections would be violent-free. “I don't want to believe that violence will characterise the 2015 elections because that is not what any of us desires”.
Dr. Peterside, who toured the Intensive Care Unit, ICU, to have a bird's eye account of the various degrees of injuries, offered words of comfort to the victims who included males and females.
“For me, this is an unfortunate trend. I don't want to believe that violence will characterise the 2015 elections because that is not what any of us desires because the President has said severally - whether he means it or not is a different matter – that his ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian and we agree with him to that extent. But you see, it's one thing to share your philosophy. It's another thing to see your people going clearly against it and you do 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 promised that APC would stand with the victims to the end.
“But as a party, we have visited to sympathise with them and to assure them that we are with them all to way. As a party, we don't believe in violence. We believe that we can use peaceful means to achieve anything you want to achieve including the quest for justice, including the fact that you canvass for votes without perpetuating violence on the same people you seek to govern.
If you kill all the people, then who are you going to govern? We have been very consistent in our believe that you must not force the people to follow your path or to share your vision. Rivers people, as God would have it, have keyed into our vision and we are sending the message from town to town; from cranny to cranny asking people to support the change that we all desire; the change that we all seek. Change that will bring them employment. Change that will ensure that they enjoy security of life and property.
Mrs. Ibim Semenitari
Director of Communication