PATRICK ABANG Calabar
The Cross River State Government has described as false an allegations by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that it is planning to use the military to disrupt the state byelections.
Reacting to the allegation in a statement on Thursday in Calabar, The Deputy Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Linus Obogo, said: “We read with disbelief the statement by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alleging state government’s plan to, in its words: “use military and police to disrupt the byelections.”
“Sadly, this is a well-worn narrative of a fractured, incohesive and disoriented party accustomed to crying wolf. It is not surprising that faced with imminent trouncing at the February 26 by-elections in Ogoja/Yala and Akpabuyo, PDP has already begun shopping for reasons for”
“its impending waterloo, an epic defeat”.
“But how else can PDP orchestrate their excuses other than to begin tilting at the windmills?
“Just when the Cross River public is still gripped by a jaw-dropping N250 million scandal and how it has ratcheted up offshore fundings to compromise INEC and the security agencies in the by-elections, PDP would rather gloss over the sleaze and attempt to deflect attention from its criminal act”.
“”It is also common knowledge that PDP has been engaging in the most brazen and criminal activity in the countdown to the by-elections by recruiting and transporting students from one of the tertiary institutions in the state to perpetrate criminality in the coming by-elections”.
“Victory at the two by-elections is already accomplished for the APC because the party fielded candidates with wide appeal and acceptability and will therefore, not borrow from PDP’s story book of cultism and banditry”.
Mr. Obogo, however, noted that Governor Ben Ayade, in line with his avowed politics with ethics principle, will not descend into an ignoble act of banditry to secure victory in a by-election where the APC candidates have grassroots supports high above their opponents.
“Indeed, APC is not unaware of how the PDP Appeal Court lawmaker has been giving money to his goons to go to the remotest areas of Ogoja to procure PVCs with an intent to commit electoral heist”.
He further noted that the PDP’s allegation is at best the last kick of a dying horse, adding that “whipping up public sentiment will not save it from defeat”.
“Cross Riverians, especially voters in Ogoja/Yala and Akpabuyo, should ignore PDP’s insipid lamentation and troop out to cast their votes on Saturday”, he said.
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