Nsima Ekere Escapes Bullet Attack … His Campaign Billboards Destroyed
By UbongAbasi Ise
Following
his recent nomination as the Akwa Ibom State APC gubernatorial candidate for next year’s
general elections, Obong Nsima Ekere Wednesday escaped gun bullet said to be
targeted at him at his home in Ewet Housing Estate, Uyo.
According
to a report, Ekere was away for a meeting with the APC party stakeholders when
a bullet, clearly targeted at him, was fired into his upstairs bedroom where
his wife and sister were at the time.
The
State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adeyemi Samuel Ogunjemilusi, later led the
team of security personnel to scene of the incident and the place was
subsequently cordoned off.
Speaking
with newsmen later, Obong Nsima Ekere called on to the Inspector-General of
Police and the DSS Director-General to review the security situation in Akwa
Ibom State as the incident is coming at the beginning of the electioneering
season.
He
said the attempt on his life is coming shortly after Governor Udom Emmanuel recruited
some notorious retired and serving security personnel to form his security
architecture.
Obong
Ekere also condemned the destruction of some of his campaign billboards in Uyo
and the threat by the State Ministry of Environment to pull down his campaign billboards.
While
citing similar attack on the residence of Senator Godswill Akpabio at Ukana
Ikot Ntuen in Essien Udim local government area shortly after his defection from
PDP to APC, Ekere wondered why Mr. Udom Emmanuel’s government is displaying
high level of intolerance, calling on the Federal Government to intervene in
restoring democracy in the state.
"We
don't understand this level of intolerance for the opposition. Democracy is
about allowing people to choose who they want. I call on the Federal Government
to cause the State Government to allow democracy to thrive in Akwa Ibom State
without or hindrance," he said.
Reacting
to the assassination attempt, the former governor of the state, Senator Godswill
Akpabio said the attempt was calculated at intimidating the APC which has now
become the majority party in the state.
"Now,
it is very clear that this is an orchestrated attempt to intimidate the APC.
When they say that APC is in opposition, I disagree. If we were in opposition
before, now with the influx of Akwa Ibom people into APC in the last one and a
half months, I can tell you that the APC is actually the majority party in Akwa
Ibom State. What is happening is a panicky measure. I cannot see why a State
Government will attempt to introduce violence when it is very clear that they
are losing election. This is not from me. It is not from the candidate, Obong
Nsima Ekere, that they attempted to eliminate today. It is clearly the decision
of the entirety of Akwa Ibom people. Majority of Akwa Ibom citizens today are
in APC. Those that we have registered today as members of APC are well over
500,000. The election is as good as won for Mr President, for Obong Nsima Ekere
and for the rest of APC family in Akwa Ibom," he said.
The
APC State Chairman, Mr. Ini Okopido, expressed shock that Nsima Ekere’s attack came
few days after his nomination as the party’s standard flag-bearer. According to
him, "We just nominated a candidate two days ago and they came here to
kill him today."
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