…Police avert clash between NDC, APC supporters
By Gabriela Ezin, Calabar
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, escaped an attack by hoodlums in Calabar, Cross River State, on Wednesday, with the police confirming the arrest of a 27-year-old suspect.
The attack occurred around Watt Market while the candidates and their entourage were returning from the palace of the Obong of Calabar ahead of a presidential town hall meeting organised by the party.
Some vehicles in the convoy were reportedly attacked during the incident.
The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, confirmed the attack, identifying the arrested suspect as Victor Edet Duke.
The incident came amid heightened political tension in the city, as police and other security operatives also averted a possible confrontation between supporters of Obi and Kwankwaso and those of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The two groups converged around the hotel along Murtala Muhammed Highway where the NDC presidential town hall meeting was scheduled to hold.
While hundreds of Obi-Kwankwaso supporters gathered in front of the hotel, APC supporters, including members of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), staged a rally and road walk towards the Governor’s Office.
The situation reportedly raised fears of a confrontation, prompting security operatives to separate the groups and divert the APC supporters. The hotel management subsequently restricted access to its premises as police maintained order around the facility.
Eitokpah said the command’s timely intervention and engagement with the groups prevented a possible clash.
He explained that police officers promptly engaged participants at the NDC town hall meeting and APC supporters when they converged in front of the hotel, appealing to them to exercise restraint and conduct their activities peacefully and in accordance with the law.
Speaking at the town hall meeting, Obi pledged to unite Nigeria, tackle insecurity and confront corruption if elected president.
He said Nigeria’s divisions had weakened its ability to address security challenges, stressing that national unity was necessary to restore stability and development.
“Our commitment is to unite Nigeria. Nigeria today is not united. If we unite Nigeria today, we will have the strength to fight insecurity,” he said.
On insecurity, the former Anambra State governor vowed that his administration would pursue kidnappers into their hideouts, particularly those responsible for abducting schoolchildren.
“Anybody that kidnaps schoolchildren and goes into the bush, we will be in that bush with him, wherever it is. We are not scared of him,” he said.
Obi also promised to fight corruption decisively, insisting that public funds must be deployed for the benefit of Nigerians rather than diverted for personal enrichment.
“We will fight corruption head-on. We want people to stop stealing public money. Public money must be used for public good and for the welfare of the people,” he said.
He identified education and healthcare as critical sectors that would receive greater attention under his administration, describing investment in both as essential to national development.
The NDC candidate said the town hall meeting was organised to give residents an opportunity to ask questions, express their concerns and engage directly with the party’s presidential team without restrictions.
“The style is to listen to you. You are free to ask any question. No restriction. Make any comment. That is why we are here,” he said.
