Gunmen disrupt APC rally in Akwa Ibom
- Gunmen reportedly attacked supporters of the APC at a rally in Akwa Ibom
- The gunmen, according to eyewitnesses, were shooting into the air to disrupt the event
- The APC has accused the PDP of masterminding the attack
Gunmen stormed the campaign ground of the All Progressives Congress (APC) along Edet Akpan Avenue, Uyo, Akwa Ibom state on Tuesday evening, shooting sporadically and disrupting the event.
According to an eye-witness, the gunmen alighted from a Toyota Hilux parked across the road and started shooting into the air to disperse the crowd.
Premium Times reports that the APC released a statement on the incident, claiming that three people were badly hurt in the attack.
Eseme Eyiboh, a former federal lawmaker and the spokesperson of the APC campaign council in the state, who spoke about the incident accused the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of sending the gunmen.
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The statement read in part: "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."
The party sympathised with those who sustained injuries in the attack, while also calling on security agencies to get to the root of the matter.
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According to the party, the attack was another attempt at intimidating and cowing the APC and its supporters in the build-up to the March 9 governorship election in the state.
The APC alleged that unknown gunmen fired shots into the bedroom of the APC governorship candidate, Obong Nsima Ekere, at his Ewet Housing Estate residence, some months ago.
However, the PDP has denied being behind the shooting. The party said the APC and its leaders should be questioned for whatever happened at the campaign ground.
Ini Ememobong, the PDP spokesperson in the state said: "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.
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“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."
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was in Akwa Ibom on Monday, March 4 to represent President Muhammadu Buhari.
Osinbajo at the event decried the circumstances, under which Sen. Godswill Akpabio lost his re-election into the Senate in spite of his popularity across the state. He alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) robbed him and the party of victory.
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Source: Legit.ng
