Get Guardian on Google• C’River denies APC’s involvement, alleges internal rift
Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State has condemned Wednesday’s attack on the convoy of the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Peter Obi, by suspected political thugs in the state capital, Calabar.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Linus Obogo, Otu expressed sadness and concern at the attack, empathising with Obi and his visiting entourage.
“I extend my deepest, most heartfelt sympathies to Mr Peter Obi and his team over the deeply disturbing incident that occurred yesterday (Wednesday) during his campaign visit to our state capital,” the governor said.
Emphasising that Cross River State is in solidarity with all political actors seeking to engage peacefully with the electorate, Otu said the state remains an enclave of civil harmony and hospitality, making the ugly incident an unacceptable anomaly.
“As a government and as a people, our hearts go out to him, and we stand in firm solidarity against any act designed to instil fear or disrupt the peaceful exercise of political rights,” he added.
Noting that the state has long been cherished as the cradle of hospitality, warmth, and civil decorum in Nigeria, with a culture rooted in peace, harmony, and mutual respect for all people, regardless of political affiliation, he added that such hostility contradicts everything the state holds dear.
He further condemned the attack as a reckless assault, entirely unwholesome, barbaric, and completely alien to the identity of Cross Riverians, warning the perpetrators of his administration’s uncompromising stance on law and order, and zero tolerance for political violence and criminality in any form.
Consequently, the governor called on security agencies to fish out the criminals to face swift justice.
Meanwhile, the state government has denied allegations that supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were responsible for the attack, describing it as “untrue, unfounded, and a calculated attempt to misrepresent the peace-loving people of Cross River State.”
In a statement yesterday by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Ekpenyong Cobham, the government said that findings by state agents indicated that the disruption was an “internal implosion by individuals aggrieved over being used and dumped in the past” by the opposition party.
It added that irritated supporters, fearing a repeat of past political neglect, turned their anger inward and damaged vehicles belonging to their own faction.
