While Cross Riverians are yet to come to terms with Sunday’s abduction of Dominic Aqua Edem, the Labour Party’s House of Representatives candidate for Calabar South/ Bakassi and Akpabuyo Federal Constituency by unknown persons, Austine Ibok, CR Labour Party chairman is insisting that “those who have abducted our candidate should understand that you cannot kidnap a man and say it is politics”.
Speaking with www.calitown.com when contacted, Ibok is further miffed that “what is happening is a deliberate attempt to cow and intimidate our candidates and supporters into abandoning the turn around of the state’s fortunes that the LP is offering Cross Riverians. I think too that CRS is no more the safest place to be in this country because the ruling PDP has failed to tackle the many security challenges that have suddenly become like a part of us in this state”. He went on to say that, ” because Cross Riverians have decided to take their political destiny in their hands, certain elements within the ruling party are becoming uncomfortable. Let me state here that the era of imposition and godfatherism is about to be challenged by the LP which is a credible alternative to the PDP and the people will decide who will lead them, no matter the amount of harassment and intimidation that is thrown at us”.
The LP helmsman was quick to point to the recent incident in Ekori, Yakurr LGA, “where someone sat down and decided that our candidates cannot campaign in his area and we are all witnesses to the mayhem that was unleashed…can we continue to function like this? It is unacceptable and the PDP must tell us why we are going through all this when it cannot pay salaries or even provide the people with drinking water. How long has Calabar been without water? It is not a problem to them because they are more interested in forcing her bitter political pills down the throats of Cross Riverians”.
For those who masterminded the abduction of Edem, Ibok says, “this heinous crime is against the will of the people and the will of the people is stronger than they can imagine. I can assure you that several Dominic Aqua Edems will arise and ensure that the will of the majority prevails and never will our state return to the days of the loud minority, who end up doing nothing for the common man. I will also use this opportunity to plead with our teeming supporters that they remain calm as our party is a party that preaches peace, all what we are passing through is for a better tomorrow”.
At 9.57 am today, when www.calitown.com visited Dominic Aqua Edem’s residence in Ekorinim, a high brow area in Calabar, two stern looking mobile policemen at his gate volunteered no information but a family source was overheard saying Edem’s wife was waiting to be picked at the airport in Calabar. The car the victim was driving has been recovered by the police in Anantigha, Calabar South LGA, where his abductors shot into the air to scare people away before grabbing him and making away. It was confirmed to www.calitown.com that Edem’s abductors have established no contact with the family as at press time.
Vote Mike Etaba for House of Reps, Obubra/Etung Federal Constituency, CRS
