A group of youths disrupted the African Democratic Congress (ADC)'s planned opening of a new secretariat in Bakassi Local Government Area on Saturday, destroying event equipment and forcing the cancellation of the ceremony.
In a viral video, the attackers who claimed to support the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) vowed that the opposition party would not be allowed to operate or hold public events in the area.
The ADC had already set up canopies, loudspeakers, chairs, and tables at the venue when the youths stormed in, scattered supporters, and damaged property including sound systems and furniture.
A leader in the group was heard declaring in the footage that the APC would block any ADC activities in Bakassi.Reacting to the incident, Dr. Effiong Nyong, ADC's 2023 governorship candidate in Cross River, called it a “sad development” and linked it to the weaponisation of poverty.
“How do you categorise a hungry and cheated man shouting that there should be no opposition to the APC?” Nyong asked. “It is sad that young people are being misguided by their oppressors to continue supporting their own impoverishment in a wanton show of shame.”
He reaffirmed the party’s resolve to educate citizens affected by hardship and urged opposition leaders in the state to unite against what he described as a visionless government.
Nyong also called on the state government to prove it had no involvement by arresting and prosecuting those responsible.
The Cross River State Police Command confirmed the attack, describing the perpetrators as “hoodlums” who “came from nowhere and scattered the canopies, chairs and sound systems.”
Spokesperson ASP Eitokpah Sunday said the situation was quickly controlled to prevent escalation.
No arrests had been made at the time of reporting, with police citing the volatile nature of the area as the reason for the delay.
Tactical teams were deployed, but the event could not proceed.Efforts to get a response from the new APC state chairman, Christopher Etta, were unsuccessful.
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