By: Felix Ikpotor
A frontline Rivers State governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Doctor Farah Dagogo, who was on Wednesday declared wanted by the State Governor, Nyesom Wike for allegedly hiring ‘cultists’ to disrupt the screening of aspirants for national and state assemblies at the state party secretariat in Port Harcourt, has alerted the general public to hold the Governor culpable should anything happen to him.
Dagogo, who represents Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency at the National Assembly in a statement issued on Thursday by his media aide, Ibrahim Lawal, accused the Governor of lying against him.
The lawmaker said that he was never at the party secretariat for the screening as he is a governorship aspirant and not a State House of Assembly or House of Representatives aspirant.
Explaining further, Dagogo said, “around 3pm, some of the aspirants were uncomfortable that as at that time, the screening committee had not come for the purpose they were meant for.
“They held a Press briefing at the front of the Party Secretariat and alleged of ploy not to screen them and another to disqualify them by the absent Screening Committee.
“After the Press briefing that went viral on both conventional and social media, the screening committee came to the venue to start the process late in the evening for an exercise that was supposed to start in the morning hours.
“After a while, the Camp Commandant to the Governor, Efeturi Irikefe, who was at the venue with retinue of police officers, tried to disrupt the process by shooting indiscriminately to scare supporters of the aspirants outside the venue.”
The lawmaker called on the commissioner of police to arrest and investigate the activities of Efeturi Irikefe, Camp Commandant to the Governor at the Party’s Secretariat yesterday.
“If any incident should befall Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo, the Governor of Rivers State and his agent should be held responsible,” he said.
The governorship hopeful accused Wike of attempting to blackmail him ahead of the screening of governorship aspirants of the party slated for Thursday, adding that the governor’s action contravenes sections 14 and 33 of the 1999 constitution.
Dagogo said he will be willing to make himself available for any police invitation after the screening exercise.
Meanwhile, there are speculations that Wike is not happy Dagogo for joining alliance with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who is also vying for the presidential ticket of the PDP.
