AT least two persons died in a pre-election crisis that erupted in Obot-Akara Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State on Friday night, while over 13 vehicles also destroyed. The affected persons died during a gun duel between political thugs and security personnel on election duties at Nto Edino, the headquarters of Obot-Akara, during the distribution of election materials for the botched presidential and National Assembly elections.
An eye witness, Effiong Akpan, said that security has been beefed up in the area causing fear among residents of Obot-Akara community.
The Public Relations Officer of Akwa Ibom State Police Command, Odiko Macdon, however, could not confirm the incident as he did not respond to numerous calls. But the senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Chris Ekpenyong, attributed the crisis to some All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwarts in the local government area who allegedly had been causing crisis in the council for a long time.
Ekpenyong, who was monitoring the distribution of the materials when news got to him, said that there was crisis going on in the council and that two persons had been killed and buses destroyed already.
He said: ”We know them. They are the same people who have been causing problem in the locality. I made a formal complaint to the police to pick them up and investigated, because last time the same people did the same thing when they were recruiting ad hoc officers. They beat up an electoral officer because they wanted to force him to accept their own list for the ad hoc staff. The matter was reported to the police and nothing was done because they believed they have somebody who is behind them,” he alleged.
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