The Cross River State Police Command has warned those perceived as trouble makers to stay away from the proposed venue of a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) press conference in Calabar.

The police issued the warning against the backdrop of fears expressed in some quarters that some people were out to disrupt the event billed for Transcorp Metropolitan Hotel in Calabar yesterday.

A statement signed by the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Irene Ugbo, for the state Commissioner of Police read as follows: “A stakeholders’ meeting of the Cross Rivers State PDP will hold today (yesterday) at a designated venue, strictly on invitation.

“This message is to warn unequivocally that person(s) or groups not on the invitation list are not permitted to loiter or gather around the venue.

“The state police command will deal decisively with anybody who ventures around this venue with intent to cause breach of peace.

“Everyone is warned to keep the peace enjoyed in this state for our common good. “If you see something say something.”

Political tension has been mounting in the state since the state governor, Ben Ayade, decamped from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC) last Thursday.

Ayade’s defection was followed on Saturday by the taking over of the PDP state secretariat in the state by the APC, which has further escalated the political tension, especially among members of the rival political parties, in the state.

The PDP has even accused the police of aiding thugs and proxies of the APC to forcefully takeover their secretariat.

But the police denied the allegation, saying they were at the secretariat to forestall possible breakdown of law and order.