By Daniel Abia, P/Harcourt

A faction of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has expressed concern over the possibility of an outbreak of guerilla warfare in Rivers State.

The party said the detonation of an improvised explosive device (IED) on Tuesday at the Hotel Presidential Axis of Port Harcourt was worrisome, adding that the protest was organized against all advice and caution by a political group that called for the impeachment of the governor and declaration of a state of Emergency.

A statement by Darlington Nwauju, spokesman of the APC faction on Wednesday said “The protests appear to be orchestrated and stage-managed to justify their call for State of Emergency, even where no such situation ordinarily exists.

“We are miffed by the deployment of guerrilla warfare to our polity and wonder why this ugly narrative must always headline political activities in Rivers State. Regrettably, this shameful and unfortunate incident reminds us of the January 19th 2023 bombing of the APC campaign venue at Rumuwoji town hall, another suburb of Port Harcourt, which left six APC members injured, and all the signs point to the same group who seem to have the privilege of getting away with whatever violent crime they launched. 

“We challenge Police authorities in Rivers State to rise to the occasion this time by quizzing sponsors/leaders of the protest of 25th June 2024 who are not only known political honchos, but apostles and sympathizers of the call for a state of emergency in Rivers State. They seem to apply the notion that whatever you can’t get you destroy. Their modus operandi which is now common knowledge is that whatever they want to launch, they first raise public outcry and point fingers to the opposite direction to deceive the public. 

“We sadly recall that a similar bombing incident linked to political activities occurred in February of 2023 which led to the untimely death of the mastermind (Mr Destiny Igbanibo). Rivers people waited in vain for details of the outcome of Police investigations on that traumatic incident, but, like other very disturbing acts of violence against the opposition and security breaches that occurred in the lead-up to the 2023 elections, it has been a matter of cover-up or “the more you look, the less you see”.

Nwauju said that the remote reason for the so-called protests which clearly is targeted at scare-mongering and instilling fear in residents and investors, is the shutting down of local government council Secretariats in the state, adding that the intervention of the Police must balance public order and rule of law.

He noted that the idea of physical occupation of workspaces by the Police is completely out of tune with modern realities. “How does denying civil servants access to their workspaces connect with or to the likely outcome of Court decision(s)? It’s more strange that the people carrying out violent protests on the streets are claiming they are doing so “in support of the police seal off of the LGA Secretariats”.