2015: Rivers boils over choice of guber consensus candidate

There were violent protests and shoot-outs in Port Harcourt and other parts of Rivers State yesterday when Ogoni youths took to the streets over the choice of Mr. Dakuku Peterside, as the consensus guber candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015 general elections.

Speculations were rife that Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi was going to hand over to his bosom friend, and member representing Rivers South-East federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Magnus Abe, who is from Ogoniland. The Ogonis had been agitating that power should rotate to their area, which had not produced the governor since the state was created, and even when the present Bayelsa State was part of Rivers. They had also vowed to support any party that the fields an Ogoni candidate, and their hopes were high that APC would give them the platform to produce the next governor untill Wednesday’s adoption of Peterside, who represents Andoni/Opobo/Nkoro, dashed their aspiration.
The angry youths, in their hundreds stormed the Government House, Port Harcourt at about 9am, with placards bearing different inscriptions, expressing their disappointment at the decision of APC.
The protesters accused Amaechi of deceiving Ogoni people by pretending to be fighting for their interest. They set bonfires in front of the Government House, which provoked security men to react, resulting in an exchange of gunfire. In the process, some of the protesters were wounded and rushed to hospital. One of them, Mr. Sun Naaooh from Bera community, was shot in the abdomen. He was rushed to Braithwait Memorial Specialist Hospital where doctors are battling to save his life.
Some members of the Movement for Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) donated blood to the injured victims. The protest caused traffic gridlock along Azikiwe Road, Port Harcourt, but the police were able to contain the situation.
The protest later spread to other part of the state like, Eleme, Akpajo and Tai.
Meanwhile, supporters of Manus Abe said he was not behind the protest. The Project Director of Ogoni Solidarity Forum (OSF), Mr. Fineface Fineface, who addressed newsmen yesterday, said the protesters were not supporters of Abe, adding that they could not speak for him. He said Ogoni would support Peterside if Abe gives them the go ahead.
Abe’s Media Adviser, Honour Sirawoo, also said the protesters were on their own. The President-General of Ikwerre/Etche Peoples Forum, and Abe’s friend, Hon. Emmanuel Amadi, also dissociated Abe from the protest.
As the protest was going on, the APC consensus candidate was said to be addressing his supporters at his GRA residence in the state capital.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Dan Bature, said nobody was killed. He, however, said that police had to intervene when the protesters became violent. He also said that the situation had been brought under control.