Some journalists in Bayelsa state sustained injuries as some thugs attacked the venue of a press briefing organised by the Sagbama Local Government Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yenagoa, on Sunday.
The briefing was organized to announced the suspension of some members loyal to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri.
Among the party members suspended include; Barr. Peres Peretu, who was Lokpobiri’s spokesman during 2019 governorship primaries of the party, Hon. Matthew Karimo, Major Oputa, Hon. Tangi Samuel, King Bolouyi Sufadoh, Hon. Goodluck Ebomu and Hon. Youdio-gwei Benjamin.
The party at the ward level had on Friday suspended Lokpobiri for alleged anti party activities.
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During the chaos, Chairman of the Federated Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Bayelsa State Council, Mr Tife Owolabi, was among the journalists injured as the thugs destroyed chairs while hitting those present with rods.
Owolabi bled from the forehead and left hand while Jacobson Park of People’s FM 93.1 had a swelling in his hand where he was hit with a flagstaff.
Everyone scampered for safety and the press briefing was temporarily halted until security men including the Operation Doo Akpo, the state security outfit, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigerian Police, arrived the venue of the event.
The briefing later held with the Chairman, of APC in Sagbama Local Government Chapter, Jonah Abeke, announcing the indefinite suspension of seven members for alleged anti-party activities as the gale of suspensions in the party continued.
Abeke said, “In the 2023 National Assembly, Presidential and gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State they openly worked for Gov. Douye Diri and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party. They made no pretences about their anti-party activities.
He said: “It is on this note that we, the under-signed executives of the Sagbama Local Government Area APC hereby suspend them indefinitely from the party.
“Their suspension is hereby transmitted to the State Executive Committee of our party for ratification.”
Abeke also condemned the attack on the journalists who were invited to cover the assignment.
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