THE All Progressive Congress Governorship Campaign Organisation in Cross River has denied allegations of opposition parties stockpiling arms in preparation for the forthcoming elections.
The spokesperson for Sen. Owan Enoh’s Campaign Organisation, Mr Dan Amor, who stated this in a statement on Thursday in Calabar, said the APC need not stockpile arms because it was certain of winning the mandate of the people in both the federal and state levels.
Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River had on Monday directed the Police Command in the state to carry out a stop and search on campaign convoy.
In a statement by his media aide, Christian Ita, the Governor alleged that many of the campaign vehicles, especially those of the oppositions were laden with illegal arms.
“This directive is imperative following security reports that indicate that some politicians and their supporters were stockpiling arms and ammunition ahead of the forthcoming elections,” the governor’s aide said.
The Enoh campaign organisation, however, described the allegations as false and only meant to whip up unnecessary sentiments.
“The attention of the APC and Sen. Owan-Enoh’s Campaign Organisation has been drawn to the Press Conference addressed by Gov. Ben Ayade alleging that (opposition political parties in the state) are stockpiling arms for the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
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“This was consequently followed with a press release signed by Ayade’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Christian Ita in which the governor was said to have directed the Commissioner of Police to immediately commence a stop-and-search of all political parties’ campaign convoys in the state for illegal arms.
“We wish to state categorically that the governor’s claims are tissues of lies. Ayade has seen the handwriting on the wall that come rain, come shine, he will lose the election.
“A leader who is not known to have commissioned any verifiable project anywhere in the state except on billboards and media hypes would always whip up sentiments and employ primordial manipulations to cover up his monumental failures,’’ Amor said.
He explained that APC members in the state are law-abiding citizens who are at liberty to go about their legitimate duty without fear of molestation.
“If there ever exist any peaceful politician in Cross River, that politician is no one else but Sen. Owan-Enoh.
“Even leading Peoples Democratic Party gladiators both past and present in the state can attest to the fact that John Owan-Enoh has no record of politics of bitterness traceable to him not to talk of politics of violence,’’ he added.
Amor alleged that the Ayade-led government, having realised that it has nothing to show the electorate, barely a month to a very crucial election has resorted to intimidation to cow the state to submission.
He said that the APC governorship candidate has put together a well-articulated economic blueprint tagged `Rescue Agenda’ 2019-2023 with absolute determination to take over the reins of governance in the state.
“The overwhelming endorsement of Sen. John Owan Enoh by all the eleven paramount rulers so far visited by our campaign train and the mammoth crowd that greeted our arrivals in all the places visited is convincing evidence of a people yearning for change,’’ Amor said.
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