By Daniel Abia

P/Harcourt – Nearly two months after the bombing of the All Progressives Congress (APC) secretariat on the Port Harcourt/Aba Expressway in Rivers State, the party’s leadership has established a 9-man panel of inquiry to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the attack.

The panel, chaired by Barr Kelechi Nworgu, with Barr Bethel Samson as secretary, is tasked with submitting its findings within one month for potential legal action against any individuals found culpable in the bombing that occurred on October 5.

Other members of the panel include Barr Darlington Dike, Barr Rex Nworgu, Hon Abibo Tammy Bereniye, Dr. Theressa Chima, Dr. Eunice Gam, Prince A. Obene, and Amb Vincent Gbosi.

At the inaugural meeting of the party following its congress a week earlier, APC chairman Chief Tony Okocha explained the necessity of the panel. He stated that the attack on the APC secretariat was not deemed significant enough to be included in the state government’s investigation, which was set up by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Okocha recalled how the APC had challenged the local government elections in court, following which the court issued a judgment. He accused the governor of sending a team of thugs to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) office, claiming that the governor had attempted to oversee the elections with his own security.

Okocha also mentioned the bombing of the APC secretariat hours before the local government elections on October 5. He noted that when the police came to investigate, they discovered an unexploded Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at the scene.

Despite the governor’s panel being formed to investigate the burning of some local government secretariats, the APC immediately informed the governor that their secretariat should have been included. Okocha further criticized the governor for the demolition of the Rivers State House of Assembly building, claiming it was part of a series of actions orchestrated to undermine the APC.

In response to these events, Okocha emphasized that the APC would not be silenced and vowed to press forward with their own panel of inquiry, asserting that “nobody is above the law.”

This development follows the recent receipt of the report from the Justice Ibiwengi Minakari judicial commission of inquiry, with Governor Fubara promising to implement its recommendations according to state law.