10th July, 2015
Peoples Democratic Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh has accused the police and All Progressives Congress of working together to destabilise PDP-controlled states especially Rivers state.
Metuh was reacting to the sealing of local councils in Rivers state by the police after a court judgment ruled that the 22 chairmen elected on the platform of APC be sacked.
He described action of the police as “unconstitutional, reprehensible abuse of power and brazen show of partisanship” in barring caretaker committees lawfully appointed by the state governor, Nyesom Wike, from taking charge of the councils.
It added that the action of the police was an affront to the ruling of the High Court. “The ruling, on Thursday dissolved the 22 local government councils unlawfully imposed by the immediate past administration in the state, leading to the appointment of caretaker committees by Governor Nyesom Wike.
“It was curious that the police allowed the dissolution of local government councils and appointment of caretaker committees in the All Progressives Congress (APC) controlled Plateau and Kaduna states.
“These states were allowed dissolution of councils even without the orders of the court but elected to clamp down on councils in Rivers state, which came as a result of judicial pronouncement,” the party stated.
The party, therefore, urged the Inspector General of Police to come out clean on the matter and assure the nation of the non-partisanship of the police by ordering the immediate unsealing of River state councils.
It also called on Nigerians and the international community to note the development in the state.
The development, according to him, “is yet another clear indication that the Nigerian police may have become a partisan and compromised instrument in the hands of the APC federal government to destabilise PDP controlled states, particularly Rivers”.