…As Dakuku Peterside Commiserates With Bereaved Families
The identities of some members of the Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) killed in a ghastly motor accident while returning from the party’s National Convention along Gwagwalada Road, Abuja, last Thursday morning, have now been made known.
National Network can confirm that two members of the APC died in the unfortunate incident while unspecified number of them were hospitalized following various degrees of injuries sustained in the crash which involved a commercial vehicle belonging to Rivers Joy Travel and Tours Ltd, Port Harcourt.
One of the deceased travelers, according to our source, was Hon. Onimitein Vincent Samuel who until his death, was the Secretary of the APC in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area (AKULGA).
The late Onimitein was also said to be a member of the Board of Trustees of Rivers Project AKULGA and strong supporter of former Rivers State governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Transportation Minister and APC Presidential Aspirant who lost the election to APC Leader, Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
The second dead person in the accident, whose name could not be independently obtained by press time, was the Secretary of APC in Degema Local Government Area (DELGA), a neighboring community to AKULGA.
The news of the accident sent shocking waves to many residents in the state, particularly given the excitement that characterized the Presidential Primaries of the two major political parties in the country, namely Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) where the two top contenders, Governor Nyesom Wike and Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi respectively, though could not clinch the tickets but put up a gallant fight.
In his reaction, former governorship candidate of the APC in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, expressed shock over the tragic event.
In a statement he personally signed on Friday, the former Director-General of Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) while commiserating with the party and bereaved families, said although death was inevitable and a determined end to every human, it was very sorrowful for the party officials to die in such manner.
In his words, “Even as it is natural to grieve when death strikes in families like in this instance, I have the confidence that the sacrifices they made in their lifetime to build the APC in their respective local chapters into a viable democratic institution, shall not be in vain. They have planted, completed their parts and left though leaving us in tears, but their democratic credentials should always spur us to greater service”.
While praying God to comfort the affected families and grant quick healing to all those involved in the accident, he also tasked APC faithful in the state to rally round the bereaved families as they left young wives and children, even as he noted that if there was any time APC in Rivers State must show love to them, it was now.
