Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has strongly condemned the burning of two Local Government Council secretariats in Rivers State following last Saturday’s local government elections.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, Frank expressed sympathy for the people of Rivers State and Governor Siminalayi Fubara, describing the incident as a sponsored attack by political thugs. He called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to resign, holding them responsible for the destruction of public property and loss of lives.
Frank accused the police of facilitating the attacks, stating that the withdrawal of security personnel from the council premises allowed the thugs to strike without opposition. “No sooner did the IGP order the withdrawal of policemen from the council secretariats than the hoodlums descended on them without any action on the part of the Force to prevent or bring the organisation of violence under control,” he said.
While welcoming President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s order for the police to act in protecting lives and property in Rivers, Frank criticised the intervention as delayed and skewed in favour of Wike’s political faction. He alleged that Wike has been using his influence, claiming the president’s support, to destabilise Governor Fubara’s administration.
“Wike has been boasting that he has the President’s blessings to do and undo in Rivers State,” Frank noted. He added that Wike’s actions are part of a larger plot aimed at leveraging the state’s resources for the 2027 presidential election.
Frank urged President Tinubu to act impartially, demanding that both Wike and the Inspector General of Police be held accountable. “Enough is enough. Wike and the Inspector General of Police must go. They must be held accountable for this arson,” Frank said, emphasising the need for justice and the protection of Rivers State’s oil facilities.
Frank, who also serves as the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, called on the United Nations to monitor the situation and hold the perpetrators accountable under international law.
He urged the people of Rivers to support Governor Fubara amidst the violence, insisting that the external forces destabilising the state were driven by political ambitions rather than the well-being of its citizens.
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