The PDP camp of the Rivers State Governor Fubara is reportedly miffed following the alleged arrest of two of his loyalists, including a member of the State House of Assembly, during the just concluded meeting of PDP NEC.
It was gathered that the lawmaker representing Ahoada East Constituency in the state House of Assembly, Sokari Goodboy Sokari, and one Mr. Ezebunwo Ichemati were arrested by the police during the meeting.
A party leader and PDP Spokesman in Rivers, Sydney Tambari Gbara, who confirmed the development in a statement, accused the Ikwerre Local Government Chairman, Dr. Samuel Nwanosike of supervising the arrest.
Gbara, a loyalist of Fubara, claimed that the arrest was part of the plans by enemies of the state to intimidate Fubara’s loyalists and provoke a crisis despite efforts by Fubara to maintain peace in the state.
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He said: “The arrest at the Wadata House where party men of timber and calibre from the PDP were meeting to forge unity in the rank and file of the party is another sad and embarrassing experience of unending acts of harassment suffered by PDP members loyal to Governor Fubara.
“It was unimaginable that associates and supporters of governors and leaders from other states were cheering their leaders as they arrived at the Wadata House unhindered, those from Rivers who came to identify with Governor Fubara were being harassed, intimidated, arrested and detained by the police without provocation.
“We have time without number advised the police to remain neutral and not allow themselves to be used by political jobbers to settle political scores, especially those concerning Rivers State.”
Gbara asked Rivers people, particularly supporters of Fubara, to remain strong and unwavering in their commitment to the success of his administration.
The governor’s supporters and constituents of the detained lawmaker under the auspices of the Simplified Movement of Ahoada West Local Government Area described the arrest of Sokari as unwarranted, embarrassing and a brute show of force.
The stakeholders in their position paper read in Port Harcourt on Friday by one of their leaders, Reason Onya, called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to call on the Inspector-General of Police to release the lawmaker from detention.
They said Sokari, one of the three lawmakers that opposed the impeachment of Fubara, had committed no crime to warrant his humiliation.
They appealed to the IGP to investigate the officers who carried out the humiliating and gestapo-like arrest of their representative with a view to sanctioning them in line with the police act.
They also urged the IGP to fish out the alleged civilians who aided the arrest, claiming that the Ikwerre Local Government Chairman was one of them.
The constituents warned that their representative in police custody should not suffer any harm or exposed to any form of danger similar to those detained during the despotic regimes that President Tinubu fought against.
However, the Ikwerre Local Government Area denied the involvement of Nwanosike in the ordeal of the two Fubara’s supporters.
Chris Omodu, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Nwanosike, said the chairman did not supervise the arrest of some Rivers youths “who were fomenting trouble at the PDP NEC’s meeting and were arrested by the police”.
Omodu said: “I want to put the record straight that the Executive Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Council, Dr. Samuel Nwanosike, is not a law enforcement officer that will supervise and arrest people. The persons arrested by the police know the offences committed by them”.
He insisted that Nwanosike had no hand in the arrest of some of the youths, whom he said were sponsored by some unscrupulous elements in the state to cause trouble at the meeting.
He said the youths, who claimed to be supporters of the governor, went to Abuja to disrupt the peace of PDP NEC meeting and to abuse the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Chief Nyesom Wike.
He said: “Mr. Tambari Sydney Gbara should not be taken seriously. He lacks the power to issue a statement on behalf of PDP in Rivers State because he is no longer the Publicity Secretary of Rivers State PDP.
“For the avoidance of doubt, NWC of PDP has released the list of state Caretaker Committee of Rivers State. He is seeking attention and more money from his paying machine.
“Sydney Gbara should save himself from cheap popularity.”
