A violent clash erupted between supporters of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Minister of Federal Capital Territory Nyesom, Mr. Nysom Wike at the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Secretariat in Port Harcourt on Friday.
The face-off led to gunfire near the PDP office along the Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway.
While some witnesses attributed the shots to security operatives stationed at the facility following the removal of Aaron Chukwuemeka’s executive leadership by the court, others claimed political thugs were responsible for it.
This medium gathered that the supporters of the Governor, who were previously forced out of the secretariat by security operatives after the legal ruling, attempted to reclaim the office on Friday morning.
However, they were met with stiff resistance from another group suspected to be loyal to Wike, triggering a violent altercation that resulted in multiple gunshots.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has been at the center of a prolonged leadership battle between the two factions.
Fubara’s supporters insist they should take over the party’s structure, while Wike’s faction is keen on retaining control.
Security personnel had been drafted to the secretariat following the court ruling, preventing Fubara’s men from accessing the office.
The latest attempt by the governor’s loyalists to retake the premises triggered Friday’s violent clash.