Rivers APC crisis: Nobody has monopoly of violence, Abe’s faction warns

From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt

Factional All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, loyal to Senator Magnus Abe, has warned that nobody or group has a monopoly of violence.

Acting chairman of the faction, Golden Ben-Chioma, gave the warning when he addressed journalists in Port Harcourt, on the recent attack of their supporters by armed men in Buguma, Asari-Toru Local Government Area of the state.

Ben-Chioma said the attack on their supporters showed that someone was afraid of the existence of their (Abe’s) camp.

He expressed: “As a party, we have frowned at it. We have made a complaint at the necessary security tables. As I speak with you, investigation is ongoing.

“But, it only shows you one thing. We’re the victim of such thing. You ask yourself, who is perpetrating harm to us? Are we a threat to anybody? The answer is “yes”. It, therefore, means somebody is threatened by our existence”.

The chairman warned: “But, we are law-abiding. And nobody has a monopoly of violence. Everybody on this earth will pass away. Only God and the earth would remain. So, let no man claim to be strong”.

Ben-Chioma added that the party believes in all-inclusive leadership and opposed to autocracy.

He stated: “We are starting afresh and we want to make sure that our party is still in existence in the state.

“Party politics is jaw-jaw not war-war. If you feel offended with our actions and inactions, come over, we tell you the reasons. If you convince us, we agree with you. It is a party not a personal issue.

“So, what we are saying here is our party never wanted autocracy to be the order of the day. That was why the constitution was crafted in such a way not to be in the position of anybody. Everybody that has the opportunity to be a leader, should be a leader for the generality of all in the state”.