Rivers PDP guber aspirant arrested during screening

House of Representatives member and Rivers state 2023 governorship aspirant, Farah Dagogo, declared wanted Wednesday by Governor Nyesom Wike was on Thursday arrested by armed security operatives at Port Harcourt.

Dagogo was arrested at the South South Zonal Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where he appeared among other South South governorship aspirants for screening ahead of the party primaries.

Dagogo, member representative Degema-Bonny Federal Constituency had shown up past 6pm at the hall where the Bayelsa State Governor Duoye Diri chaired the Screening Committee was on duty when armed men swooped on him.

Moments later, the lawmaker, the most vocal of Rivers 2023 governorship aspirants so far was escorted out by heavily armed security operatives who whisked him off in a patrol van labeled, ‘Operation C4i-027’.

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Governor Wike had in a statement by his Media Aide, Kelvin Ebiri, accused Dagogo of masterminding cultists disturbance at the screening of Rivers State National and State Assembly aspirants Wednesday in Port Harcourt.

The embattled lawmaker had in swift response denied the accusation, counter accusing Wike of deliberately giving him a bad name to deny him Thursday’s screening for the state governorship where he was arrested.

Meanwhile, the South South governorship aspirants screening opened in Port Harcourt under tight security with Committee Chairman and Bayelsa State Governor, Duoye Diri assuring of a transparent process.

Though aspirants started arriving at the South South PDP Zonal Office venue as early as about 9am, screening didn’t start with Cross Rivers state aspirants till about 2pm.

Some of the aspirants who arrived early include Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr Tammy Danagogo, Sen Lee Maeba, Hon Onofiok Luke, long serving Delta Senator, James Manager and late arrival Reps member Dagogo who was arrested as well as Umo Eno, amongst others.

(VANGUARD)