Cross River PDP To Resist Attempt To Militarise Polls

Cross River State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has pledged to resist any  attempt by state  government  to militarise today’s elections.

Director General of the PDP campaign organisation who is a former deputy governor, Barr. Effiok Cobham, issued the warning in a press conference organised by the PDP in Calabar on Thursday night.

The former deputy governor stated  that the party was aware of a plan by the police to use special squads to militarise and intimidate the PDP where it has strongholds particularly in Cross River North Senatorial district of the state.

Cobham stressed that signal to that effect had already been sent by  the commissioner of police in charge of elections in Cross River, Aliyu Garba.

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He alleged that the signal directed the commandant of the Rapid Response Squad to deploy a huge number of  its personnel  to Cross River North to execute the hatched job.

Cobham said  this would not have bothered them stressing that  signal showed that the police personnel drafted to the area  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 APC desist from such action because election is not war.

“We also gathered that in the late hours of Wednesday, March 15, Ayade had a meeting with the supervisors of polling units officers in his lodge.

“INEC is supposed to be an impartial arbiter in the election, so, what were electoral officials doing with the governor who is an interested party in the election and the leader of the APC in the state?” he said.

Cobham stressed  that things had become so bad that if nothing is done to salvage the situation  today’s elections would be compromised.

Also Speaking on the issue, the PDP deputy governor candidate, Mrs Emana Amawhe -Duke, urged  security agencies in the state to remain neutral and independent  in the course of discharging their responsibilities .

Cross River State Police Public Relations Officer Police SP Irene Ugbo said the police would not do anything stupid to disrupt or compromise the elections, adding that all what the police were after are peace and order during and after the  elections.