APC blasts Wike over Nigerian army vaccine scare in Rivers state

APC blasts Wike over Nigerian army vaccine scare in Rivers state

- APC has accused Governor Nyesom Wike of promoting the army vaccine scare in his state

- The party accused Wike of being bitter and demoralising the army ever since the IPOB was proscribed

- APC accused the governor of being an ally of the pro-Biafra group, IPOB

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, of promoting the rumour that the army is injecting people with monkeypox virus in his state.

The political party accused Wike of demoralising the army and being bitter towards the force ever since the proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The group also accused Wike of being an ally of the IPOB group which has since been proscribed in Nigeria.

In a statement signed by APC state publicity secretary, Chris Finebone, and exclusively sent to Legit.ng, the group accused the governor of concocting lies about the army.

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The statement read: "The All Progressives Congress, APC, Rivers state chapter, is utterly dismayed that emerging facts being made available to the party indicate that the Nigerian Army vaccine scare that was promoted on radio and social media earlier today (Tuesday) by the Rivers state commissioner for information and communications, Barr. Emma Okah, is part of a well-articulated strategy by the Governor Wike-led Rivers state government to ridicule, humiliate, intimidate and demoralise the Nigerian army, SARS and other security agencies ahead of the 2019 elections.

"The APC finds it appalling that the Rivers state government led by Gov. Nyesom Wike would concoct outright lies and falsehood just to score cheap political points by denigrating our respected men and women of the uniformed and other security services who place their lives on the line every other day to keep Nigerians safe. This is the worst form of ingratitude that a government can openly organise against an important set of citizens who lose their limbs and in some cases lose their lives for the rest of us.

"The APC is aware of a special project that has just been flagged off by the Rivers state government and driven by the commissioner for information and communications, Barr. Emma Okah in which a task force of PDP members have been assembled and charged with the sole task of inundating the traditional and new media daily with anti-SARS messages until the police high command is forced to transfer out CSP Akin Fakorede from Rivers state.

"The idea is that having refused and rebuffed Governor Wike’s entreaties including a bribe of N100 million naira, the governor and his party believe that there exists a possibility that Fakorede’s replacement will likely fall for the governor’s bait ahead of the 2019 elections.

"While the APC cannot speak for the police or other security agencies, it behoves on us and indeed other well-meaning Rivers people to vehemently condemn the war of attrition being levied by Wike and his government against security agencies in Rivers state."

The party said the army has since denied conducting any free medical outreach in Niger Delta or Rivers state.

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The statement added that: "The fact is that the army has made a press release re-stating that it was not conducting any medical outreach in the Niger Delta generally and Port Harcourt particularly. Independent investigations also revealed that the Nigerian army troops were nowhere close to any school in Rivers state to carry out any medical programme of any sort despite the false alarm activated by the Rivers state government.

"The APC insists that Governor Nyesom Wike and the PDP in Rivers state must take responsibility for any untoward outcome that may result from the needless panic mode they have forced innocent people and residents of Rivers state into today. They must accept responsibility for the politically-motivated fake news they activated in the state today and the attendant confusion it has caused law-abiding citizens.

"We call on the Nigerian army and other security agencies to recognise the kind of personae the governor represents and the type of government he runs. We urge our respected men and women of the security services to rise above the antics of Governor Wike and his government officials.

"Particularly, the army and other agencies should realise that the dance the Rivers state government performed today by creating a hoax to discredit the Nigerian army is a clear manifestation of the frustration that the governor and his government have inflicted on themselves since their major ally (Indigenous People of Biafra – IPOB) was proscribed. They have since been feeling vulnerable, disorientated and very bitter especially at the army. The unnecessary animosity by the Wike government towards the Army does not represent the feelings of well-meaning Rivers people.

"We reassure anxious Nigerians who reside in other parts of the country especially the North that all is calm and no attacks on any group has resulted from the irresponsible false alarm raised by the Rivers state government. This is important to quell the anxious calls we have been receiving since this morning against the backdrop of the recent ugly incident in a part of the state."

Legit.ng had earlier reported that panic-stricken parents in Rivers state on Tuesday, October 17, withdrew their children from their various schools after rumours of the forced vaccination was going round the state.

One of the parents alleged that army wanted to forcefully inject the kids with the pox virus.

The Nigeria military has since debunked the rumuor, describing it as callous and unpatriotic.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Governor Wike has urged Nigerians to disregard posters displayed in parts of Abuja indicating his interest in the vice presidential position in 2019 race.

The governor, who described the action as the handwork of mischief makers, said his attention was drawn to it recently.

Wike made this call in a statement signed by his special assistant on electronic media, Simeon Nwakaudu, adding that the posters were from “political mischief makers who seem to have forgotten that nobody runs for the office of the vice president.”

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Source: Legit.ng

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