CR Labour Party Draws First Blood, Accuses PDP Of Attack On Gershom Bassey

The Labour Party in Cross River State says, “the malicious allegations made in the mass and social media accusing the party and indeed her standard bearer for the Southern Senatorial District elections in next month’s polls, Bassey Edet Otu of masterminding the recent attack by gunmen at the residence of the PDP flag bearer in the same election, Gershom Bassey,… is the weakest form of political blackmail which attempts to score very cheap political points”.

Austin Ibok, who chairs the LP in CRS, while addressing a press conference early Friday afternoon, wondered “why a popular candidate will try to kill (as insinuated), an unpopular candidate over an election that we all know will be decided by the people at the polls?”. He stated that his party’s candidate, having represented the Southern Senatorial District well in the Senate, “has political credentials that tower above his opponents and as such cannot be threatened by any one of them, let alone PDP’s unpopular candidate”.

Specifically, Ibok questioned why “…when the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly was recently attacked by gunmen in his residence in Calabar, a very obvious attempt on his life…PDP and the government lacked comprehension (sic) in handling the matter”. He minced no words when he insisted that it is “…possible that the Cross River State Government and indeed the PDP, stage managed the shooting at Gershom Bassey’s house to gain cheap popularity for him”. “A government which plants explosives at its Party secretariat to have an excuse to move the Party machinery to the Government House for easy rigging of party primaries, can do anything to achieve its selfish desire”, Ibok added.

While he is insisting that the rifle taken at Gershom Bassey’s house during the shooting, was negotiated for and retrieved by one of Gershom Bassey’s aides, he appears to be at a loss about how “the PDP identified the gunmen and negotiated with them?”. He clearly wants the state government to “tell the people of CRS their role” in the matter. On a final note, the LP helmsman submitted that his party will offer citizens of the state a break from falsehood and offer “qualitative leadership” that the party is known for.