BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME and EGUFE YAFUGBORHI

PORT HARCOURT — SOCIOPOLITICAL group, Nigerian Democratic Awareness Forum, NIDAF, has advised youths in Obio/Akpor  Local Government Area of Rivers State against being used as cannon folders in the raging crisis rocking the ruling People Democratic Party, PDP, in the state.

Meantime, workers in the  state have appealed to the state government to ensure that the staff of Obio Akpor council were paid for the period they were shut out of the council secretariat by the police.

The Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, JPSNC in the state in a statement by Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, state Chairman, Mr. Chris Oruge; Chairman of the state’s Trade Union Congress, Mr. Chika Onuegbu and Chairman of the JPSNC, Chuku Emecheta, enjoined the Police to comply with the court’s order and vacate the council secretariat for workers to resume.

Meantime, urging Obia/Akpo youths not to allow themselves to be used, Mr. Frank Onwusonye, National Publicity Secretary of the body, flayed continued threats to public peace by youths in Obia/Akpo council over the sack of the elected council cabinet.

He said: “No one is blind to the fact that the PDP war currently unsettling development and businesses in our state was not in anyone’s interest other than the self-seeking battle for supremacy over state power among leading actors and their foot soldiers towards 2015.

“Our youths must stop risking their lives in vain protests to prosecute this egoistic war. If the key actors mean well, they must first recall their children and wards from comfort zones overseas to take the frontline of these paid youth demonstrations before others will follow,” advising them to view the court as the place of last resort.