Cross River State: PDP raises the alarm on plans by Police to compromise March 18 polls

By Sixtus Uket (Calabar)
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River has raised the alarm on alleged plans by the State Police Command to compromise the March 18, 2023 Governorship and State Assembly elections in the State.
The Publicity Secretary of the Party in Cross River, Mr. Mike Ogisi, raised the alarm Wednesday, in a statement made available to journalists in Calabar, the State capital.
Mr. Ogisi said that the plans were perfected on Wednesday evening when the Police Commissioner in charge of elections in the state, Garba Aliyu in company with other officers met with the State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade.
The PDP State Publicity Secretary further alleged that, “information available to the party leadership said Ayade had offered the Commissioner a mouthwatering amount to execute the plans.”
According to Ogisi: “Part of the plan is to cause crisis in their strong holds and also use the boys that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has assembled to disenfranchise the people in selected parts of the state.”
He also alleged that, “a number of chieftains of the party have been penciled down for arrest between Thursday and Friday as part of the plan to keep them out of circulation until after the elections.”
“We have it on good authority that arrangements have been concluded to use the Police to compromise the governorship election in the state.
“The plans to disenfranchise many Cross Riverians, cause chaos in our strong holds, put some of our leaders out of circulation with Police playing a critical role of providing cover for all these unwholesome activities were perfected this evening (yesterday) in a meeting with the governor.
“Aside the Commissioner, others in the meeting were Garba Aliyu, CP Umar Madaki, in charge of Central, and CP Stanley Ude, in charge of Southern Cross River.
“Others are: DCP Hayatu Shaff, DCP Aboki Danjuma, DCP Uche Adaku, and ACP Yusuf Doki.
“They arrived Calabar today and were picked up at the Airport by Senator-Elect, Asuquo Ekpenyong Jnr, and drove them straight to Government House where they met with Ayade.”
Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the State Command, SP Irene Ugbo, dismissed any such plans, but confirmed the CPs’ meeting.
SP Ugbo explained that the meeting was not exclusively for the Police but with other security agencies involved in the election.
“The meeting is basically to strategise on the election in the area of security,” she said.

Ayade lost his bid for a Senate seat in the February 25, 2023, Presidential and National Assembly elections and is believed to be desperate to ensure that his anointed successor wins Saturday’s Governorship election.