Rivers’s APC Calls For State Of Emergency, Says The State At War

Oluwasegun SanusiJune 19, 20241 Mins read513

The leadership of the Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the state, citing escalating violence and a breakdown of order.

The call was made by APC Caretaker Committee Chairman, Chief Tony Okocha, during a media briefing on Wednesday.

Okocha stated, “Rivers State is at war. The dramatis personae responsible for the mayhem that has claimed lives are known. The governor is helpless, the police are biased and helpless. Therefore, the APC in Rivers State is calling for a state of emergency as a way of taming the mayhem and the upsurge that is going on in the state. I call on the federal government to act fast in this regard.”

The call for a state of emergency came amid a power struggle between factions loyal to the immediate past governor, Nyesom Wike, currently serving as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the APC, and supporters of the incumbent governor.

The ongoing conflict has resulted in significant violence and instability in the state. Governor Siminalayi Fubara had earlier raised the alarm over purported plans by persons he did not identify to arrest his supporters.

Meanwhile, despite the plea, Fubara inaugurated the new caretaker chairmen for the state’s 23 Local Government Areas earlier today amid tight security at the Executive Council Chambers of the Government House in Port Harcourt.