ASSASINATION ATTEMPT ON GERSHOM BASSEY FALSE

An organization which goes by the name, ‘Democratic Alliance’ has declared the recent outburst in Calabar, capital of Cross River State over an assassination attempt on the life of Chief Gershom Bassey as false alarm.

Chief Gershom Bassey is the incumbent chairman of the Cross River State Water Board and the PDP senatorial candidate for the southern senatorial district under the platform of the PDP in the forth coming elections.

In a press release on Thursday in Calabar and jointly signed by the secretary, Mr. Daniel Ekpe and Director Women Affairs Evangelist Abigail Ekpo, the group alleged that “the picture had been framed in semblance that since Prince Bassey Otu is the main opposition to the coveted senate contest, hence responsible for this dastardly and coward-like back-stab”.

The group further stated that “the aim of the state PDP chairman, Ntufam John Achot Okon and party faithful over the alleged alarm is to sway sympathy and adopt further Machiavellian tactics to foist an unpopular candidate over the wishes of the majority by crying wolf where there is none”.

It would be recalled that political campaigns in the Southern Senatorial District of Cross River State between the incumbent senator, Prince Bassey Otu who recently decamped from the PDP to Labour Party and Chief Gershom Bassey of the PDP has been tense in the district.

Secretary of the Democratic Alliance, Daniel Ekpe while addressing journalists in Calabar urged politicians in the state to desist from plans to “perpetrate their self interest, divert the attention of security agencies for their self seeking interest to cow the opposition”.

On whether the group has any evidence to back up their claims against the ruling PDP and its state chairman over the alleged false alarm, Ekpe told members of the press that they are armed with evidences to prove that the assassination attempt was a false alarm by the PDP.

“We have it on good authority that Chief Gershom Bassey’s political jobbers and hirelings whom he is indebted to for odd jobs performed were at his residence on the fateful day to recover their debts hence, the face-off with his residential guards who allegedly obstructed them from having access to their boss”.

The organization used the occasion of the press briefing to appeal to the Inspector General of Police and the Department of State Security (DSS) to “investigate these cook and bull stories and to publish its findings before the rescheduled elections such that the electorate would ascertain who the perpetrators of these electoral fraud are and prosecute them accordingly.

They frowned at situations such as the alleged assassination attempt, vandalisation of bill boards and such other acts as capable of painting the peace loving people of Cross River State in bad light.