The police in Rivers state yesterday sealed off the newly opened secretariat of the ‘new PDP’. The building, located on Forces Avenue, Port Harcourt, was sealed off less than 20 minutes after its inauguration.

Sam Okaula, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, who led the operation, said that the police would ensure the maintenance of law and order in the state. He said anybody who took the laws into his hand would be dealt with.

Okaula said that there was no existing secretariat for a splinter PDP group and that nobody had the right to hoist any flag for them. He followed that with a warning that the command would not condone actions capable of causing the breakdown of law and order in the state.

“I want to restore law and order and nobody will be allowed to take the laws into his hand,” Okaula said.

Tony Okocha, Chief of Staff to Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi, had said while inaugurating the secretariat of the ‘new PDP’ that the group had to break away to check the alleged “excesses of the old PDP”.

Okocha said the ‘new PDP’ would usher in officers at the state and federal levels to “reposition the party”. He called on officers of the party to commence mobilisation of party members to create awareness on its emergence.

Soon after the inauguration and hoisting of the party flag by Okocha, the police arrived, dismantled the flags and sealed off the secretariat.