The much expected Port Harcourt rally spearheaded by the Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, IHRHL to drum up support for Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi did not take place on Tuesday, the day the institute’s coordinator Anyakwe Nsirim Novu picked.
According to Nnsirim Novu, the rally was supposed to be graced by some notable rights activist, including Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, Olisa Agbakoba, Femi Falana, Joe Okei Odumakin among others.
It would be recalled that the commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu had banned rallies and protests in the state, explaining that they were capable creating more tension, and even chaos.
The move has also been kicked against by some rights groups in the state, including the Civil Liberty Organisation (CLO), which had alleged that the planned protest was one sided, and aimed at supporting Amaechi, instead of reconciling the factions in the crisis for a lasting solution.
Also against the rally was Mujahid Asari Dokubo, the leader of the Niger Delta Volunteer Force.
“Let them come (the invited guests) and see what happens. They will tell us what is happening in Rivers state that will warrant them leaving their place to come here and stage a protest”, Asari said in a telephone interview on Monday.
He said that he would not hesitate to stage a counter-protest against the visitors, adding that the organizers of the exercise were “jobless people who have been looking for where to collect free money for their living”.
“Are we fighting war here? What will warrant anybody coming to Rivers state to cause unnecessary tension when in actual sense there is no need for that?”
But Nsirim-Novu had insisted on going on with the protest, when he phoned from an undisclosed location.
On Monday morning, however, there was no sign of any protest as police officers, and other security operatives were stationed in most of the roads in Port Harcourt. There were also Hilux vans at some intersections mounted by well armed police officers.
