Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, has raised the alarm over alleged plot to arrest leaders of the party in the state on trumped up charges.
This is as he said the state was passing through lots of challenges ranging from scarcity of petrol, rise in transportation fare and attacks on opposition political parties.
Abe spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital during the inauguration of committees of the SDP Campaign Council.
The governorship hopeful said: “I will like to use this opportunity to say to every member of the Social Democratic Party in Rivers State that these are unprecedented times. The state is going through more than normal challenges.
“All across this country, arising from the challenges of petroleum products supplies across the country, added to the challenges of the change of the currency. This has created a very difficult times for Nigerians all across the country.
“The case of Rivers State is escalated by other factors. One, of course is peculiar terrain of our state. If road transportation prices had jumped to 300 to 400 percent, you can imagine what is happening to price of transportation by water. That one has jumped even higher than road transportation.
“So, Rivers State is in a difficult situation. If you now add that to the sponsored violence, intimidation, harassment, that we are witnessing on political activities all across the state, you will agree with me that Rivers State is going through very difficult times at this time.
“I have received very credible reports that names of leaders and members of the Social Democratic Party across the state have been compiled and frivolous and fictitious petitions have been compiled and arrangements have been concluded with some security agencies who are acting more like the armed wing of the state PDP than civil servants that are being paid by the people and government of Nigeria to provide security for all Nigerians. So, we must all be very careful because that assault will begin any moment from now.
“But, what I will say to Rivers people is this; the final solution to the challenges of Rivers State is at hand. All we have to do is to agree that no matter what happens, on the 25th of February when these elections will hold and on the 11th of March, when the state elections will hold, that all of us, who are alive and can walk and breath, we must come out on that day to vote.
“If I am arrested, please, go and vote. If you are arrested, I will go and vote. Once we finish voting, I will remind everybody, Order 21 and Order 22 will still be in force on 29th of May when I will take oath as governor of Rivers State,” he said.
