Headquarters of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Rivers State was on Tuesday attacked and vandalized amid the widespread hijacking of the #EndBadGovernance protest.
There has been demonstrations across various states since last Thursday with protesters expressing dissatisfaction over the nation’s economic challenges.
The hoodlums were said to have invaded the party’s secretariat located along Port Harcourt-Aba road, pulled down the giant billboard, vandalized the entrance gate and canopies providing shelter to security operatives, before they were repelled.
Briefing journalists in Port Harcourt, the Caretaker Committee Chairman of APC in Rivers State, Chief Tony Okocha, condemned the incident.
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Okocha said he suspected that the vandalization was sponsored by vested interests whom he said were afraid of the party’s rising profile in the state.
He alleged that the attack was pre-determined to get at President Bola Tinubu and make Rivers State the epicenter of protest.
He said: “Today the issue on point is the vandalization of the APC Secretariat situated at Port Harcourt-Aba Express Road in Port Harcourt by hoodlums who were sponsored by a source we have identified. We are not scared to name the source because the situation has become very political. Of course why is that it’s only APC that was isolated for destruction.
“But the million of those attacks will not stop us in APC from speaking for the people of Rivers State. it will not stop us from being diametrically opposed to a government that is clueless. It can’t stop us. When the Rivers State House of Assembly was pulled down, it did not stop the Assembly from sitting.
“I am aware and we were briefed that there are plans to make Rivers State the epe centre of protest for obvious reasons. One reason is that they need to get to Mr President that Mr President does not seem to be supporting them.”
Okocha called on the Rivers State Police Command to beef up security around and within the party’s secretariat.