Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Abe, Monday, stormed Nonwa community in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State to inaugurate its party office despite attack from suspected political thugs who vandalized the office.
It was reported that in the early hours of Monday, suspected thugs invaded the area and destroyed properties at the secretariat.
The attackers later came back in the day, shooting sporadically and chasing away party faithful who had regrouped at the venue.
The governorship candidate of the SDP, Magnus Abe who confirmed this in a press briefing in Port Harcourt, accused the leadership of the PDP in Tai LGA of orchestrating the attack under the pretext of enforcing executive orders 21 and 22 of the state government.
According to Abe, the party was preparing to receive him in Tai where he was due to address party supporters and as well officially commission the office when they got the report of the attack.
He said: “It was shocking to us when we started receiving reports that the leadership of PDP met and said that Senator Abe cannot come to Tai and that no office of the SDP can be opened in Tai.
“It was a thing of shock we started getting reports last night that thugs were being amassed at the local government council secretariat and in the early hours of this morning, they attacked the secretariat (SDP) with gunshots, sporadic gunfire, with armed men and all sorts of dangerous weapons, vandalized the secretariat, scattered everything. The canopies and stage that have been set for us to come there and open the place were destroyed.”
The SDP candidate, however, vowed that he cannot be intimated by such action.
He said, “no amount of thuggery and violence can stop me from going anywhere in Rivers State to share my message of hope.”
Our correspondent reports that while the gunshots was still on, Abe stormed the area and commissioned the secretariat.
While addressing the people at the venue, Abe promised to give them a better life.
