By Suoyo Ekubo
Recall that yesterday Wednesday, the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, declared Hon. Farah Dagogo wanted for allegedly hiring cultists to attack the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat in Port Harcourt.
Wike directed the Rivers State Police Command to arrest Dagogo after alleging that He sent some hoodlums who stormed the PDP secretariat in Port Harcourt, and disrupted the screening of aspirants for various elective positions on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Hon. Dagogo has debunked Governor Wike’s allegations in a statement signed by Ibrahim Lawal, SA to Dagogo.
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The Statement reads;
“Yesterday, April 27th, 2022, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Rivers State had its screening for National and State Assembly aspirants at the Party’s Secretariat along Aba Road, Port Harcourt.
“Around 3pm, some of the aspirants were uncomfortable that as at that time, the screening committee had not come for the purpose they were meant for.
“They held a Press briefing at the front of the Party Secretariat and alleged of ploy not to screen them and another to disqualify them by the absent Screening Committee.
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“After the Press briefing that went viral on both conventional and social medias, the screening committee came to the venue to start the process late in the evening for an exercise that was supposed to start in the morning hours.
“Our findings have revealed that there was no incident whatsoever at the Secretariat.
“After a while, the Camp Commandant to the Governor, Efeturi Irikefe, who was at the venue with retinue of police officers tried to disrupt the process by shooting indiscriminately to scare supporters of the aspirants outside the venue. The issue is, WHY WAS THE CAMP COMMANDANT OF THE GOVERNOR OF RIVERS STATE AT THE PARTY SECRETARIAT YESTERDAY IF THEY DID NOT HAVE A NEGATIVE MISSION OF BLACKMAIL, IN ORDER TO COME UP WITH TRUMP UP CHARGES, LIKE THEY DID YESTERDAY?
“This Camp Commandant, Efeturi Irikefe, dehumanized and arrested some PDP faithful who came to give moral support to the aspirants and forcefully arrested some of them and took them to Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt.
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“Since there was no incident, why did the Governor of Rivers State lied to the world that there was one? What actually was the plan of the Governor for Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo? Why is the Governor desperate to link non existent incident to Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo? These are salient issues that should be fully interrogated by well meaning members of the society.
“Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo, Governorship aspirant and Federal Lawmaker representing Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives
was not at the party secretariat neither was he a cultist nor hire, send nor procure anyone to disrupt the screening exercise. INFACT THERE WAS NO DISTRUPTION OF ANY KIND. JOURNALISTS AND OTHERS CAN ATTEST TO THIS.
“The Commissioner of Police, Rivers State should as a matter of urgency arrest and investigate the activities of Efeturi Irikefe, Camp Commandant to the Governor at the Party’s Secretariat yesterday.
“Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo is a law abiding and responsible Federal Lawmaker and will be going for the PDP Governorship screening exercise already scheduled for today.
“If any incident should befall Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo, the Governor of Rivers State and its agent should be held responsible.
“That the directives for the arrest of Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo by Governor Nyesom Wike violates the spirits of Section 14 and 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended) and an already failed attempt to prevent him from presenting himself for screening today, April 28, 2022.
“If the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State still considers it incumbent to invite Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo, he is willing to make himself available on the receipt of an official invite from the police after today’s screening and not before.
“The above is for the attention of all lovers of democracy,” statement reads.
