Wike camp begins protests in Port Harcourt to stop LGA election

The camp loyal to the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has made good its threat to start protests in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, beginning Thursday, October 3, 2024.

The camp made of the group loyal to Wike from both his factions in the All Progressives Congress (APC), and his original party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), both of who are now called PDAPC called out young people around the state to march along Aba Road starting from their own APC office on Aba

Road up to the offices of the Directorate of State Security (DSS) at Armed Forces Avenue near the Government House, and at the Police headquarters in the state on Moscow Road.

Tony Okocha, the pointman for Wike, had begun mobilizing early in the week for the protest, which began Thursday morning.

Read also: Rivers’ deepening crisis finds fuel in proposed LGA elections

Their protest is against the broadcast by the state governor, Sim Fubara, who was installed by same Wike, but who is now at loggerheads with the former governor. The governor had insisted on going ahead with the election but the Wike camp is insisting to the contrary.

The protest is also said to be indication that the state would not be in peace over the matter.
The protesters have already said they would not guarantee peace in the state for the elections to hold.

Speaking for both the APC and PDP, the newly installed PDP chairman (who was installed in the heat of court orders against the PDP congresses), Aaron Chukwuemeka, said the protests were peaceful. The protests went on in the heavy rains.

Addressing both agencies, Chukwuemeka emphasized that the PDP was a law-abiding party committed to maintaining peace. He urged the DSS and Police to prevail upon the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to halt the proposed election.

He said the Federal High Court’s ruling that prohibited RSIEC from proceeding with the election for non-compliance with electoral law was their stand;

The RSIEC, backed by the state governor, has insisted that the Supreme Court has closed any window for caretaker committee in the LGA system around the country and that the presidency had given 90 days to all states to conduct elections, saying they were obeying both orders.

By the development, it is almost certain that the Saturday October 5, 2024 election in 23 LGAs in the state would face serious and violent confrontations. It may be a show of muscle, though many citizens say it was not the duty of the party members to enforce a court order.