The leading opposition party in Cross River State, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused Governor Bassey Otu’s government of promoting brigandage in all parts of the state, using supposed revenue collectors.
Chairman of PDP in the state, Mr Venatius Ikem said the army of revenue agents who allegedly use brute force to extort from residents, motorists and shop owners have unleashed what he described as terrorism on the people.
Speaking on the programme, ‘Peoples Opinion’, on FAD FM radio on Wednesday, Ikem said the level of brigandage by the government’s revenue agents has become glaring and unacceptable.
“These so-called revenue agents are the ‘area boys’ they used during elections and have assigned them revenue points as a way of ‘settling’ them.
“These boys are now masquerading as revenue collectors, going about terrorising citizens and traders brazenly,”;; the PDP chairman said.
According to Ikem, Governor Otu’s two years in power has nothing to show as achievements.
He alleged that there is monumental corruption and waste of resources.
He further alleged that Otu has not bothered to activate some of the seemingly good programmes haphazardly initiated by his predecessor, Prof. Ben Ayade.
The opposition party boss maintained, “There’s absolutely nothing noteworthy or attractive that APC government has given to Cross River State. The activities of the APC administration oscillate around cleaning parts of Calabar.”;;
Ikem disagreed that defections by some PDP members has affected the strength of the party, stressing that APC cannot penetrate Cross River North.
He described defectors as regular economic migrants, who think that the field is greener elsewhere.
