Ime Akpan
The sign of what to expect in the March 9 governorship and state legislative assembly elections took an unprecedented turn yesterday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State when three persons were said to have been injured in an explosion that occurred at the campaign ground of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
It was gathered that the incident occurred along Four Lane, Uyo, around 7 when some unidentified gunmen in a Toyota Hilux vehicle opened fire into the premises and took off.
Victims of the attack were said to have been taken to an undisclosed hospital in Uyo for medical attention.
It was further gathered that two of the injured were in critical condition while the third victim, whose name was given as Mrs. Uduak Sunday, sustained an injury on her right leg.
Reacting to the incident, spokesman for the APC campaign council, Mr. Eseme Eyibo said it was a desperate attempt by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), its thugs and militant groups to cause trouble and prevent the governorship and state legislative elections from holding on March 9.
“We want to alert the nation and particularly, security agencies of the bombing and shootings that took place at the APC Campaign Office along Edet Akpan Avenue, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
“The bombing and shooting, which took place at about 7:30 pm on Tuesday March 5, 2019, is another desperate attempt by the People’s Democratic Party, its thugs and militant groups that have swamped the state since the commencement of elections in February this year, to cause large scale violence, capable of preventing the March 9, 2019 from holding.
“To prepare the way for what followed later in the evening, the PDP media went to town in the morning with photographs of thugs being loaded somewhere in Edo state, purportedly heading to Akwa Ibom State.
“A few hours later they went to town announcing the arrival and arrest of the supposed thugs from Edo. Whether the attack on the Campaign office was part of this choreographed narrative or not, the PDP has crossed the red line in their desperation for this week’s governorship election.
“While we sympathise with those who sustained injuries in the attack, we call on security agencies to get to the roots of this latest onslaught against the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom State.
“This is another in the series of cowardly attempt at intimidating and cowing our party the APC and its supporters in the build-up to the March 9, 2019 governorship election in the state.
“Some months ago, unknown gunmen fired shots into the bedroom of the APC governorship candidate, Obong Nsima Ekere, at his Ewet Housing Estate residence, with his family members narrowly escaping the attack.
“Intelligence at our disposal indicates that, faced with imminent defeat at the polls, Governor Emmanuel and the PDP have decided to disrupt the polls in Akwa Ibom State if they are prevented from carrying out another wholesale electoral robbery like the one they perpetrated during the presidential and National Assembly elections in collusion with the Independent National Electoral Commission,” said Eyibo in a statement.
But the PDP spokesman, Mr. Ini Ememobong countered saying “Our party is a party of peace and not war; we see God not Warsaw” adding that the APC and its leaders should be questioned for whatever happened at the campaign ground.
“Our party has been notified of some careless rumours making the rounds that PDP members drove to the campaign office of the APC governorship candidate and shot at their supporters.
“Nothing can be farther from the truth. How did the person know that the shooters were PDP members? Assuming there was any shooting?
“The leadership of the APC should hide their faces in shame for such an ignoble act of importing thugs from Edo State to cause crisis in Akwa Ibom state, so that elections can be cancelled.
“We had in the morning informed the whole world and with pictorial evidence that thugs were being arranged on the demands of Obong Nsima Ekere and Chief Godswill Akpabio, using Adams Oshiomhole.
“We had even gone further to state those who were leading the troops – 52 buses were leaving Edo State yesterday morning loaded with thugs, heading to Akwa Ibom. We showed those pictures, and we went with security agencies and some of them were intercepted in Obot Akara. Some used other channels and got into Akwa Ibom, and went straight to the APC secretariat along Ikot Ekpene Road.
“Branded buses belonging to Nsima Ekere ferried them from the party office to his campaign ground. It was after ferrying them there, whether they said it was gunshots or there were explosive detonated. That is what they must answer. If you bring thugs, thugs usually go with arms. No PDP person can have access to Nsima Ekere campaign ground,” said Ememobong.
