The All Progressives Congress was quick to lay the blame for the disruption of the latest rally at the doorsteps of President Goodluck Jonathan, his supporters, the Peoples Democratic Party and the police.

In a statement on Sunday, the APC said that Jonathan’s sympathisers are pushing Nigeria to the

precipice, alleging that the attackers were PDP-sponsored and police-backed.

The statement, signed by the APC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, alleged that while the attack was going on, the police, who had been formally informed of the rally and were expected to provide protection, instead gave the hoodlums a free rein, in the most egregious and open display of partisanship by an institution of the state saddled with ensuring the protection of lives and property of all citizens.

The APC said the police carried its partisanship to another level when, the previous day (Saturday), it sent over 300 men to protect a pro-PDP rally that was used solely to launch a blistering verbal assault on the APC and Governor Chibuike Amaechi.

The same police have offered protection for a Pro-PDP group, GDI, which is holding another rally in Degema on Sunday.

It added: “Today’s (Sunday’s) attack came a week after a similar one saw a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Magnus Abe, shot by policemen who also attacked and tear-gassed innocent women and children, among others.

“As the presidency-backed impunity in Rivers worsens, we at the APC are left with no choice than to alert all well-meaning Nigerians as well as the international Community to call President Jonathan to order, since he has refused to allow peace to reign in the state just because of his personal ambition.

“Because of the danger this state-backed thuggery can inflict on our young democracy; because of the harm being done to the polity by escalating political violence; and because of the fact that impunity does not breed peace, we will continue to cry out, hoping that reason will prevail and that President Jonathan will no longer allow his ambition to be watered by the blood of the same citizens he swore an oath to protect.

“It is clear that despite the presidency’s loud silence on the Rivers crisis, it is the architect of the violence in the state, and the 2014 Ekiti and Osun governorship elections and the 2015 general elections are the reasons. That is why we will not relent in blaming the presidency for the violence. Surely, when the presidency is tired of violence, peace will return to Rivers State.”