The All Progressives Congress (APC) said it has been vindicated with the violent outcome of the political rally held by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at Nembe Local Government Area, on Wednesday where souls were lost and several others injured, saying the Bayelsa state government and its party should be blamed and held responsible.
The APC accused the PDP campaign team of mobilising armed thugs to the Nembe rally.
In a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday in Abuja by the APC’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, said it has earlier raised the alarm that the PDP government in Bayelsa state were planning to cause Mayhem to create atmosphere of war at the stronghold of the APC.
“We had alerted the security agencies and the general public on the secret release of about 100 awaiting trial inmates from Okaka Prison in the state capital, Yenagoa by the state government. We also exposed the plot by the PDP-led government in the state to lure voters with N20,000 each, deploy fake Police and Military uniforms, clone Permanent Voters Card (PVCs) among others to allegedly rig the governorship election.
“The manifestations of some of the concerns we raised three day ago seem to have started. If not, PDP will not mobilized armed thugs to its rally to kill and cause mayhem, having realised that the people of this area had made up their minds to vote the APC.
Mr. Nabena said having realised the strength and popularity of the APC in Nembe Local Government, “the PDP decided to unleash armed thugs, fake military and para-military men in uniforms to cause unrest in the area, ultimately to create fear in the minds of our potential voters.”
While condemning the act of violence in Nembe, the APC, however, called on the security agencies to up their game and quickly identity those who responsible for the violence and bring them to book.
“Just three days ago, we told the world that fake Navy, Army and Police uniforms have been procured to kit political thugs recruited by the PDP-led government in Bayelsa state. We have been vindicated with the display of desperation at Nembe Local Government by the PDP.
“It is now clear to all that the outgoing Governor Seriake Dickson, has become chaotic in the face of rejection of his party by Bayelsans as well as the soaring popularity of the APC in the state, and the governor has now resorted to violence.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the APC had peaceful, decent and clean rallies all over the state and nobody was harrassed, Bayelsans were not coaxed or force to attend our rallies but the did because they have embraced APC. How the PDP, who is the ruling party in the state could not be decent in the conduct of its political rally at Nembe?
“We believe that the failed plan is to kill and injure as many as possible of our supporters in some of our strongholds, Nembe inclusive but we believe that the people of Bayelsa will not fall to the PDP devilish trick,” Nabena stated.
While commiserating with families of those who lost their lives at the unfortunate incident at Nembe, Nabena also called on the International Community, local observers and all lovers of democracy “to call Governor Dickson to order not to set the state ablaze for the selfish ambition of his handpicked PDP candidate,” Nabena stated.
