The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has expressed shock at the brazen unconcern of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the untimely death of scores of their supporters at its ill-fated presidential campaign rally in Port Harcourt Tuesday, and for embarking on street protest against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) less than 48 hours after.
A statement by the State Chairman of the party, Bro Felix Obuah and signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Jerry Needam slammed the APC in the State for having no regard for human life and showing no respect for the dead.
All that matters to the APC the statement further said, was election and occupation of political office at whatever cost, calling it extreme selfishness and callousness.
The PDP said the death of 15 persons so far as confirmed by the management of the University of Port- Harcourt Teaching Hospital while many are still in critical condition among whom, were illustrious sons and daughters of the State at a mere campaign rally is a disaster and should bother every reasonable political office seeker but regretted that this colossal loss meant nothing to the APC.
This is most unfortunate, the statement noted, stressing that it is a pointer and eye-opener to the Rivers people of the calibre of people wishing to pilot the affairs of the State.
On the street protest against the INEC in Port- Harcourt for obeying the Supreme Court order by the APC, the PDP described it as the highest level of rascality.
It wondered what the APC intends to do in government when it is opposed to the rule of law and other tenets of democratic rule.
Most laughable, the PDP also noted, was the call by the Tonye Cole Campaign Organization that INEC should include the names of APC candidates on the ballot papers as though the Supreme Court judgement that nullified their participation in the State for the 2019 general elections was for the birds.
“Let me repeat for the umpteenth time that we seek political office but not at the expense of the lives of our people. We intend to lead the ‘living’ and not the ‘dead’. But to the APC, it does not matter whether the people are killed or slaughtered. All that matters is the office. This is the difference and the reason we continue to say that politics is too serious a matter to be left in the hands of charlatans and busybodies,” Bro Obuah declared.
The State PDP boss, Bro Obuah, however expressed hope that the Rivers people and all relevant agencies would be firm and refuse to be cowed by the APC’s antics to divert their attention.
