The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State have accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) party of intimidation and destabilising the peace of the state.
This is even as the state youth causes has said that they would do whatever it would take to ensure that peace remained in the state.
The party has warned that it would however not be intimidated by the actions of the party through different types of machinery.
State Party Chairman, Mr. Paul Ekpo told a news conference that the invasion of the State House of Assembly by thugs, the actions of the five sacked legislators in declaring a new speaker and the barricading of the Assembly by security personnel was a delibrate plan by the APC to make the state ungovernable.
Ekpo stated that at the time of the invasion of the house of assembly with thugs by Mr Idongesit Ituen, one of the sacked lawmaker representing Itu state constituency, there was no stay of execution issued by an court of law against the speaker in respect of Ituen’s case.
He alleged that plans have been uncovered by the APC to use the Economic Financial Crimes Commission to frozen the accounts of the State government, just to paralyse the activities of government.
He queried the rate at which Police Commissioners in the state were replaced within a short period, noting that was also part of alternative plans to derail governance of the state.
He argued that the schemes of APC was to bring Governor Udom Emmanuel in a collision course with President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The Peoples Democratic Party has invited you this evening to alert Nigerians, international communities, and indeed the whole world of attempts by the All Progressives Congress in collusion with security agencies to make the state ungovernable and possibly declare a state of emergency to pave way for easy manipulations of elections results in 2019.
“It is pertinent to note that we have uncovered a fresh plot by the APC to use the EFCC to clamp down on Akwa Ibom State government accounts. This is another desperate attempt by the APC to paralyse the activities of the government of Akwa Ibom State.
“In view of the foregoing, we make this extant demand: that the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State, should as a matter of urgency, cause the troops laying siege at the premise of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly to vacate with immediate effect and cease forthwith, further intimidation of officials of Akwa Ibom government and principal officers of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.” He said.
The youth caucus has through its chairman Mr. Aniefok Iwaudofia expressed reservations over the nonchalant posture of security agencies towards incitive actions and activities of supporters of APC in the state in recent times.
Iwaudofia who is also the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Udom Emmanuel on youth matters, therefore, called on ECOWAS and other regional organisations to be wary of such actions as this could lead to a genocide if not checked.
He called on INEC to maintain its stance on free and fair elections and not to be intimidated or influenced by federal officials who might want to sway them to work for the success of the APC.
