Emmanuel Masha 
The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alerted the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) of the threat by some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) loyal to Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to “burn down” the state. In a viral video, some APC members were alleged to have gathered around a man, who threatened that the state will be burned down if the faction of the party loyal to Senator Magnus Abe should take any legal action that could lead to Amaechi’s suspension. Although Chibuike Ikenga, the leader of Amaechi team in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state, had since disassociated Amaechi from the threat, he noted that the comments of the former speaker were not Amaechi’s position. However, the state Publicity Secretary of PDP, Sydney Tambari, wanted security operatives to arrest those that issued the threat. Tambari, in a statement, urged the state Commissioner of Police, the Director of Department of State Services to arrest and prosecute everyone in the video and their sponsors as a deterrent for others.
He said: “The Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State has expressed displeasure over the utterances made by a group of APC members loyal to the faction of the former Governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in a viral video, where the leader of the group threatened the peace of the state should their leader and master, Amaechi not have his way in the current crises rocking the Rivers APC.
“The PDP in the state wondered why the factional leader of APC will condescend so low to allow such a low life person and a miscreant to make misguided comments against the Executive Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency Nyesom Wike in their party self-inflicted crises.” While describing the utterances credited to the factional APC group as grossly inciting, offensive, and derogatory which is not accepted by Rivers people, the party wondered why politics could not be played in a more tactical and decent manner in Rivers State by the opposition party.
The statement added: “Recall that a similar situation has been witnessed in the state, where hoodlums loyal to the Amaechi faction of the Rivers APC attacked the judiciary and attempted to stop a court proceeding in May 2018. “The state cannot be allowed to go back to the dark days of the leadership of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi as the Governor of Rivers State, where the judicial arm of the govern-ment was held under siege, a situation where both lawyers, Magistrates, Judges and the entire judicial staff were locked out of the court premises for several moments. “Never again will the people of Rivers State fold their arms and watch the state being plunged into another unwarranted crisis and bloodletting by this same unrepentant and bloodthirsty faction of APC members and their self-styled emperor. The people of Rivers State will vehemently resist any further attempt by these miscreants to foist any form of break-down of law and order in the state.”
