Guber candidates of opposition parties storm Rivers Police HQ, accuse Gov Wike of intimidation
Joseph Felix
Opposition candidates in the upcoming gubernatorial election from some political parties stormed the Rivers State Police headquarters on Friday to protest what they claimed was intimidation by Governor Nyesom Wike ahead of the election on Saturday.
Sen. Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party, Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs of Accord, and Tonte Ibraye of the African Democratic Congress were the candidates that took part in the protest.
The opposition parties demanded the immediate release of everyone detained during this political period after alleging that their members and supporters were being harassed and detained by security services working for Governor Wike.
Wike has been engaged in a long-running battle with Cole, accusing the APC candidate of working against the candidacy of Bola Tinubu.
Tinubu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), won the presidential election held on February 25 and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued him a certificate of return.
Speaking on Thursday during a broadcast in Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers, Wike said Rotimi Amaechi and Tonye Cole, APC governorship candidate in the state, “actively” worked against the election of Tinubu.
“Rotimi Amaechi and his protégé, Tonye Cole, actively opposed the demand for power shift to the south and worked against their party’s presidential candidate in Rivers state,” Wike said.
“When the president-elect (Tinubu) emerged as the winner, Tonye Cole rushed to congratulate him on his Instagram handle but deleted the post when he was criticised.”
