By David Agabi
Loyalists of the Peoples’ Redemption Party (PRP) Ugep have expressed their discontentment following the destruction and carting away of the (PRP) gubernatorial candidate in Cross River State, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani’s billboard at Ediba Junction, Ugep, Yakurr Local Government Area by some yet to be identified persons.
The appeal came in a release signed by 8-man stakeholders and presented to the Nigeria Police, Ugep Divisional Headquarters and the Obol Lopon of Ugep and Paramount Ruler of Yakurr respectively.
In the protest letter, unalloyed members of the party and loyalists to the gubernatorial candidate noted that the destruction of two (2) of Usani’s billboards amidst others is a development intended to score negative political points with potency to stir up political rivalry, tension and escalation to violence.
According to the release, “the development which was intended to score a negative political point, has the potency to stir up political rivalry, tension and escalation to the point of exhausting the already stretched security tools polarised by other vices at a time government efforts beyond enhancing security to guarantee free and fair elections as well as taming the tides of other ignoble threats upon which insecurity thrives on are seen to be commendable or near commendable.”
They also noted that Ugep as the headquarter of Yakurr, it behoves on them to tolerate and accommodate posters and billboards of varying political parties without rancour, and not give to selective and biased judgements in their acceptance and treatment; maintaining that, the destruction and carting away of only PRP billboard, while others are left untouched may portray a demeaning effect on the psychology of the members of the party and possibly affect so much, the party has built and still building towards credible victory in the area.
The loyalists, therefore, appealed to the Police authority to as a matter of urgency make good use of her office and sternly warn and arrest anyone found perpetrating such criminal activity as well as taking the complaint as a caution against the further occurrence.
Those that signed the protest letter were:
Yibala Ikpi Okon
Enonnanke Ofem
Victor Oka Igbor
Ikpi Ikpi Ofem
Thomas Abam
Pastor Inah Okoi Inah
Eno Omini Ubi and
Ofem Bassey.