The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Nsima Ekere, has escaped assassination attempt.
The incident was said to have occurred in his Ewet Housing Estate, Uyo, in the early morning of Wednesday.
It was gathered that Ekere was meeting party leaders in the nearby residence of the Managing Director of the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority, Mr Umana Umana, when the bullet was fired into his upstairs bedroom where his wife and sister were at the time.
Following a distress call from his wife, Ekere, accompanied by party leaders, rushed home to the scene of the incident.
The scene was subsequently cordoned off and the expended bullet taken away by security agents following the visit of the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi, and some personnel from the Police and Department of State Security.
Speaking on the incident, Ekere described the situation as very disturbing coming at the beginning of the electioneering season and shortly after an attack on the residence of former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, following Akpabio’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party.
He called on the Inspector-General of Police and the DSS Director-General to take a serious look at the security situation in the state and the attempt on his life.
Narrating how it happened, Ekere said “I narrowly escaped an assassination attempt”.
“I was meeting party leaders in the nearby residence of the Managing Director of the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority, Mr Umana Umana, when the bullet was fired into my upstairs bedroom where my wife and sister were at the time.
“We don’t understand this level of intolerance for the opposition. Democracy is about allowing people to choose who they want. I call on the federal government to cause the state government to allow democracy to thrive in Akwa Ibom State without let or hindrance,” he said.
The APC State Caucus Chairman, Chief Don Etiebet, also speaking, described the assassination attempt on Ekere as callous, sad and untoward and called on security agencies to thoroughly investigate it.
Also APC Chairman Ini Okopido, said “we just nominated a candidate two days ago and they came here to kill him today.”
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