Suspected loyalists of Minister of state for Education, Mr Nyesom Wike were supported to have beaten up some his opponent on Thursday at the National Campaign of PDP.
Those beaten included a legal practitioner, Mr. Tabotamuno Dick; a former Commissioner for Water Resources under former Governor Peter Odili, Mr. Lolo Ibieneye; Prof. Israel Owate, Dr. Sowaribi Tolofari, Mr. Sara Egbe and Chief Bekinbo Sobrekon.
Wike is one of the party’s guber aspirants in Rivers.
The thugs, who were in their tens, used dangerous weapons, such as stick, bottles and stones to scare away members of the party from the state from gaining entrance into the building, where members of the National Integration Committee, South-South zone, were meeting.
The meeting was aimed at settling grievances among members of the ruling party in the zone and Thursday was allotted to hear the grievances of those aggrieved in Rivers State.
But only Wike and his supporters were allowed to enter the venue of the meeting.
Many opponents of the minister, who came to present petitions to the Senator Iya Abubakar-led committee were beaten up by the thugs.
While the meeting was ongoing, the Police officers at the venue refused to interfere as they watch the event unfold.
One of those beaten, Dick said “I came to defend the petition we sent to the committee, but see what happened here today.
“I have been beaten by thugs and these thugs were joined by the policemen attached to someone who wants to be a governor of my state. We shall wait to see.”
However, Wike has insisted that there is absolutely no crisis in Rivers PDP.
Wike, it will be recalled has been in a long drawn battle with the Governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi who has vouched to do all within his power to see that Wike does not emerge as his successor.
With this new crisis, the opposition APC will be looking to capitalise and strenthen its hold on the state in 2015.
