Explosions Rips Through APC Campaign Rally, Over 50 Injured

Explosions rocked the National Field venue of the APCgovernorship campaign rally in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State; was again disrupted yesterday.

Meanwhile, Rivers State Police Command has confirmed that a policeman lost his life in the shooting at the venue of APC governorship rally in Okrika, while three others sustained gunshot injuries.

A statement by the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Ahmed Muhammad also confirmed that a journalist with Channels television, Charles Eruka, was stabbed by suspected political thugs, who shot sporadically and detonated explosives at the venue of the rally.

The Police said it was the timely action of its men that saved the situation from further degenerating.

The governorship candidate of the party, Dr Dakuku Peterside, told Vanguard on phone that about 50 members of his party sustained injuries from the attack.

Meanwhile, Governor Rotimi Amaechi has condemned the incident. He also blamed the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan for the attack on members and supporters of APC in Okrika.

Continuing, Peterside said a policeman and a journalist with Channels Television, Mr Charles Eruka, were also attacked by the suspected political thugs, noting that the journalist was allegedly stabbed.

He said: “We arrived my alma mater, Okrika Grammar School first, where I paid a courtesy visit on the principal. That was at 11a.m. From there we proceeded to pay a courtesy call on the traditional ruler of Ogoloma. Before we got to the venue of the rally, we heard that three explosives had been detonated at the school field. But things were normal when we arrived the venue. We started with praise and worship. Solidarity speeches were going on when suddenly shooting started.

“Fifty of our supporters were injured. A policeman was shot. The whereabout of some of our members is still unknown. A journalist with Channels Television, Mr Charles Eruka was stabbed.”

He accused the factional Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr Evans Bipi, of mobilising thugs to carry out the attack, an allegation Bipi denied on phone, saying he was in Bayelsa State commiserating with families of female members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who lost their lives, weekend, in an auto crash on the East-West Road.

This is the second time the governorship campaign rally of the party would be aborted in Okrika, hometown of the wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Dame Patience Jonathan.

Meantime, the PDP in the state has dissociated itself from the development, urging the police to unmask those behind it.