PDP, DTSG Intimidating, Harassing Our Members In Delta –APC

By Daniel Dafe

The All Progressives Congress, APC, Delta State has said that there is “a systematic and well coordinated intimidation and harassment” being conducted against her party members across Delta State, saying this is “purportedly at the behest of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with the tacit support of the Delta State Government.”

This was contained in a statement on Monday signed by the Publicity Secretary of the party in the state, Valentine Onojeghuo.

The statement added: “Furthermore, information at our disposal indicates that teachers who where suspected as having voted and worked for our Party during the elections have been summoned to the post Primary School Board in Asaba to face query and possible severe disciplinary actions of dismissal taken against them. Similarly, local government workers and staff are also being witch hunted in several local government secretariats across the State for the simple fact of exercising their civic and constitutional duty of voting for a particular candidate.”

According to the statement, “this callous and crude display of intimidation and harassment against innocent citizens of the State, is intended to serve as a vengeful vendetta against perceived ‘enemies’ that voted against the candidates of the PDP and the State government in the just concluded general elections.”

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“Presently, members of our Party are being intimidated and publicly harassed from their official work places and homes and this ugly situation is noticeable in Udu Local Government Area, where members of our Party are being forced out jobs in all the motor parks, tipper garages and sand beaches by PDP members on the directive of the Council Chairman, Jite Brown, who coincidentally lost the house of assembly elections to Hon. Collins Egbetamah of our Party and has decided to embark on this revenge mission as a payback for his defeat. More worrisome, is the fact that in his home community of Aladja, armed thugs are going from house to house of APC members and subjecting them to all manner of harassment and physical beatings while issuing threats to them to vacate the community.

“The All Progressives Congress view this shameful and disgraceful treatment being meted out to its members as a retribution for expressing their constitutional rights of freedom of association and the free will to elect candidates of their choice, as completely against the tenets of our constitution and totally repugnant to natural justice,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, Delta APC called upon Governor Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, “to as a matter of urgent public safety and security and the need to maintain a peaceful environment in the State, to immediately direct all those who are presently engaged in this unholy act of savagery and barbarity against innocent indigenes of the State, to desist forthwith any or every act of political intimidation and harassment against imaginary enemies as an expression of their loyalty to the State government and PDP.”

“As a law abiding organization that values the rules of law and abhors any act of brigandage capable of causing breach of peace, the All Progressives Congress Delta State, will not idly stand by and watch its members being continuously subjected to this spiteful and worrisome behaviour that threatens their very existence and livelihood as we will deploy every available options within the ambit of the law in ensuring their safety and dignity,” the statement added.