Alaibe's campaign office bombed in Bayelsa
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- Category: Politics
- Published on Tuesday, 22 February 2011 08:17
- Written by Tribune
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THE campaign office of the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Bayelsa State, Mr Timi Alaibe, in Ogbia community, Bayelsa State, was, on Monday, bombed a few hours to the official inauguration and commencement of political activities in the area ahead of the April elections.
However, Mr Alaibe said no amount of threat or intimidation would make him to forgo his ambition of repositioning the state economically and politically, if elected into office.
It was the third time that the governorship candidate and his campaign team would suffer such fate, as his house in Opokuma, in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government area of the state was bombed sometime last year.
Also, late last year, suspected gunmen attacked his campaign train, killing no fewer than six people, while several others were reportedly injured.
The Monday incident occurred around 4.00 a.m. An explosive suspected to be dynamite was reportedly thrown at the bungalow painted in cream colour, destroying its outer part but no life was lost.
A detachment of anti-bomb squad from the police command has been deployed in the area, while the residents have been assured of their safety by the Public Relations Officer of the state police command, ASP Emokpai Eguavoen, who confirmed the incident.
Despite the development, the Timi Alaibe Campaign Organisation was inaugurated on Monday.
Inaugurating the building, former Attorney-General of Bayelsa State, Chief Talford Ongolo, said the state was yearning for a change and no amount of threat or intimidation could force their candidate, Alaibe, out of the race.
He, therefore, called on the people of Ogbia area of the state to take their destinies into their own hands by voting out “oppressive” government and rallying round the candidature of Alaibe.
Also, commenting on the spate of bombings in the state, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) described the incident as unfortunate, attributing it to the level of unemployment in the state.
A statement signed by its national youth leader, Mr Miriki Ebikibina, said it was worrying and disheartening to note that not even the deployment and presence of the Joint Military Task Force and Operation Famutamgbe could salvage the situation in the home base of President Goodluck Jonathan, which it said was not only an embarrassment but required the intervention of the presidency.
The party, according to the state Commissioner for Information, Honourable Nath Egba, knowing full well that ordinary opening of campaign office might not be enough to attract the required media attention, “they have once again introduced their favourite attention-grabbing technique, detonation of explosives around them.”
The statement reads in part: “In their characteristic way, they ensure it happens close by but not close enough to cause damage to them or any of their valuables.
“Bayelsans thought we had seen the last of these tactics after the impeachment of Ebebi last year, but, unfortunately, most of the experts in scare-mongering, have congregated in the Labour Party with the avowed mission of rubbishing all that President Jonathan is trying to achieve for us.
“The government is calling on Bayelsans to unite against this violent trend. Let us imbibe democratic norms and learn to be sportsmanly in our approach to politics so as to avoid ridiculing our state before the entire nation.”
