Godwin Otang
The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) in Cross River state, has vowed to resist any attempt to militarise the March 18 Governorship and State House of Assembly election by the All Progressive Congress, (APC) in the state
This was disclosed by former Deputy Governor, Effiok Cobham, the Director General of the PDP Governorship Campaign Committee, late on Thursday in Calabar.
Cobham said as a party, they had received signals from the Commissioner of Police in Cross River, directing the Commandant of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) to send all its men to the northern part of the state.
He said this would not have bothered them but the signal showed that the men had been ordered to engage in “domination patrols, stop and search and carryout aggressive arrests where necessary.”
“We frown at such development and ask in very strong terms that Gov. Ben Ayade and the All Progressive Congress, (APC) desist from such action because the election is not war. We also gathered that in the late hours of Wednesday, March 15, Ayade met with the Supervisors of Polling Units Officers in his lodge.
“INEC is suppose to be an impartial arbiter in the election, so, what were electoral officials doing with the governor who is a member who is a leader of the APC in the state.
Similarly, Mrs Emana Amawhe, Deputy Governorship Candidate of the PDP said the security agencies in the state should be neutral and independent in their duties in the March 18 Governorship and state House of Assembly election in the state.
“If the APC feels it is popular enough in Cross River to get votes, then it should understand that it is only normal for people to be allowed to exercise their franchise during the election
“We have cases in Calabar where traditional rulers
are compelled to go round communities ringing bells and threatening individuals to vote a particular candidate or dealt with of they refuse,” she said.