BY GBENGA OKE & BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

Rivers State Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN and Abiye Sekibo Campaign Organisation, have condemned the order by the Rivers State government to stop a peaceful demonstration by the party against the outcome of last weekend’s National Assembly polls in the state.

Director of Publicity and Communication, Abiye Sekibo Campaign Organisation, in a statement, said  “in continuation of their unending persecution and frustration of the ACN, in Rivers State, Governor  Chibuike Amaechi, has instructed the Commissioner of Police and the State Security Service, SSS, Director, to stop a peaceful demonstration by the ACN against the fraudulent National Assembly elections held last Saturday in the state.”  According to him, “peaceful demonstration is the right of every citizen to express his or her grievances instead of taking laws into their hands and this singular act of denying the ACN of even a peaceful demonstration to express their feelings over the massively rigged National Assembly elections amounts to denying a child the right to cry after being beaten.

“It also goes to show that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the state has something to hide from the public the manipulations and connivances with the Joint Task Force, JTF and INEC to deny the masses of their right to make a peaceful change through the ballot.

“How can the elections be said to be free and fair when armoured vehicles blocked the entire Aba Road leading to GRA Junction just to stop a peaceful demonstration? While peaceful demonstration were allowed  in other states, the Rivers State government refused and this clearly showed the dastardly role they played in securing victory for the PDP.

“ACN condemns this suppression and intimidation. We will never succumb to such antics and we urge all ACN supporters and members in Rivers State to remain calm,” he added.