The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has announced a week of mourning for nine of its members reportedly killed in two separate incidents in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Saturday night.

“While five of the men were killed in the D-Line area of Port Harcourt, the other four met their untimely death along the Eastern By-Pass in the Marine Base area of the state capital,” Rivers APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, said in a statement issued today in Port Harcourt.

“Rivers APC condemns the killing of these innocent men without reservations. That only APC members were targeted in the two incidents indicates that these are politically motivated murders targeted at reducing our membership strength ahead of the 2015 elections. We are challenging the law enforcement agencies to rise to the occasion and apprehend and bring the culprits to book,” Ikanya said

He added: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by the death of these innocent men and regard them as martyrs of our nascent democracy. We wish to assure those they have left behind that these party faithful will be celebrated and mourned accordingly. Their deaths will strengthen us the more to ensure that evil men are not be allowed to govern our state again.”

The APC chief directed party members throughout the state to use this Sunday, March 15, “to pray for the repose of their souls in their various churches,” adding: “We owe them this honour even as we strive to honour them the more by ensuring that their dream of landslide victory for our great party in the forthcoming general elections is realised.”

Ikanya cautioned the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its supporters to eschew violence “as no amount of violence and intimidation will save the party from being disgraced during the March 28 and April 11 general elections in the state.”

“We pray our friends and the international community to constantly remember us in their prayers as both our candidate, Dr Dakuku Adol Peterside, and all APC chieftains are all targets for elimination by the newly assembled PDP killer squad,” he stated.

•Photo shows Ikanya.

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