Atiku Abubakar has condemned Thursday’s incident at an All Progressives Congress (APC) rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
While the APC claimed it was an explosion leading to five deaths and several injuries, the police say it was a “fracas” between members of Rumuwoji community over the sharing formula for the money paid to them for renting the playground where the event took place.
In his reaction, Atiku said such an incident should have no place in the country’s democracy.
READ ALSO: [Rivers Rally] Police, APC Give Conflicting Accounts
“There should be no place for violence and anti-democratic manifestations in this election. We’ve already committed to that in the peace pact we all signed up to. Elections are not a do-or-die affair but an opportunity to reinforce our belief in democracy through our leadership choices via adult suffrage,” the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate said late Thursday.
“We had complained about the violence that had been visited on our party in some states because we did not want it to become a pattern if those engaged in anti-democratic activities were not brought to book. Our worst fears have now manifested with the explosion at the APC rally in Port Harcourt. It stands condemned.”
‘Standing With APC’
The former vice president condoled with the APC and the families of the victims, maintaining that “elections and the choices we make should be about the ballot and not the bullet.
“On behalf of my team, I stand in solidarity with the APC and the families of the injured. I wish the injured a quick recovery.
“Once again, I call on security agencies to ensure that those behind this dastardly act, including their promoters, are brought to justice to serve as a deterrent to copycats who may be emboldened to thread this same anti-democratic path.”
