By Celestine Okeh, Abakaliki
Ahead of the March 18th gubernatorial and State House of Assembly election in Nigeria, the Director, Directorate of information, Divine mandate campaign council, Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji has alerted the security agencies in the state over alleged killings and violent attacks by the opposition People's Democratic party PDP and other opposition political parties in the state.
Barr Orji revealed this to newsmen in a press conference at the campaign office of the gubernatorial candidate of APC, Rt Hon Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru on Monday.
He enjoined security agencies in the state to rise up to the security threat caused by those opposition elements and their underground plot to cause political tension in the state.
"As a Directorate of Information of our Divine Mandate Campaign Council, we found it expedient to speak on the political tempo in Ebonyi State as we prepare to elect a new Governor on Saturday, 18th day of March, 2023. As you all know, the Presidential and National Assembly elections held on the 25th day of February, 2023 were rather a decisively indicative test on the acceptability of political parties in the State and a test case on the electorates’ will to uphold the principles of fairness, equity and zoning traditions espoused by the Divine Mandate administration of *His Excellency, Engr. Chief David Nweze Umahi FNSE, FNATE, CON, GGCEHF.
Despite the skirmishes of some opposition political parties which exposed their desperation during the last election, the will of the people was expressed through the ballots. We thank the APC family and indeed the good people of Ebonyi State for keeping faith with the ideals of APC and the leadership of our dear Governor who has continued to make the State proud in innovative leadership. We congratulate the APC family and indeed the good people of Ebonyi State for the landslide victory recorded by APC in the National Assembly elections which saw the emergence of 100% APC in the Red Chambers and overwhelming majority of APC in the Green Chambers.
We are glad to note the enthusiasm of Stakeholders of opposition political parties in the State who have seen reasons to support the candidature of Rt. Hon Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru. Honestly, since after the first election, it has been either massive political alignment in favour of APC or mass defection to APC or open support for the Governorship Candidate of APC by the bigwigs of opposition political parties including Labour Party, PDP, APGA etc. History will be kind to prominent leaders of opposition political parties in the State including Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim GCON, Sen. Sylvanus Nguji Ngele, Sen. Obinna Ogba, Amb. Lawrence Nwuruku, Sir Arch Edward Nkwegu, Hon Peter Ede, Engr. Livinus Makwe, Hon. Anayo Edwin Nwonu, Chief Boniface Ofoke, Hon Sylvester Ogbaga and many others too numerous to mention, for upholding the Divine Mandate zoning arrangement for the Governorship seat, which is equitably the turn of Ebonyi North, Izzi in particular. Their stand for truth, justice and good conscience and their decision to support the candidature of Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru is a record that shall be honoured by posterity.
"We view their deep thoughts to collapse their structure in PDP, Labour Party, APGA, etc in favour of APC’s Governorship candidate, Rt. Hon Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru as not only God’s design for a more united and progressive State, but also an interesting phenomenon that will shape the political landscape in the State. To all who made sacrifices to entrench zoning arrangement in the body politic of the State, you are heroes of this democratic dispensation.
"As the tempo of political activities is rising ahead of the March 18th, 2023 Governorship and the State House of Assembly Elections, we are mindful of the growing tensions generated by a few desperate opposition elements and their Governorship candidates who are frustrated by the turn of event and have resorted to raising dusts, instigating tensions and creating insecurity in some parts of the State. We have it on good authority that the opposition elements particularly APGA and PDP, having seen their imminent disgraceful failure in the coming election of 18th March, 2023, are doing everything possible to charge the atmosphere and distort the peace and security enjoyed in the State before, during and after the elections. We therefore warn that these enemies of the State be called to order by security agencies. The killing of one of the finest Traditional Rulers who was until his death, the Chairman of the Traditional Rulers Council in Ezza North, His Royal Highness, Eze Igboke Ewa by gunmen suspected to be working for the Governorship Candidate of APGA is one of the recent unprovoked attacks that were meted against our people for no just cause. We understand that some culprits have been arrested and they have made confessional statements and yet, their sponsors are still moving freely and raining fire and brimstone against authorities.
"We also have a case of attack at Ezzagu Community in Ishielu LGA on the 18/02/2023 during the APC political rally where gun men made their way to the venue and started shooting sporadically, leading to the death of Mr. Emeka Nwausulor Enyiukpo and two others who were seriously injured by their gunshot - Mr. Chinedu Abel Anyalagu and Mr. Orugbala Chukwudi. Also on the 22nd February, 2023, there was also another attack at Ohofia and Agba in Ezekoma Development Centre of Ishielu Local Government Area, where one Mr. Monday Idoko and Festus were also shot dead by unknown gun men.
"Just yesterday, 12th March, 2023, an APC member and Councilor of Achara Ward 2 in Okposi, Ohaozara Local Government Area, Hon Ogbonnaya Ugwu (SPACO) was gruesomely murdered and set ablaze in his car. There was also an attack on the Commander of Neighborhood Watch, Mr. Dickson Solomon on same Saturday last week wherein rains of bullets were thrown at him and God rescued him as he tells his ordeals. We also heard of the ugly incident that happened a night before the Presidential Election at same Court Area wherein another known Supporter of APC was gunned down. One would be left to conclude that the targets are APC Supporters and unsuspecting members of the public. These are instances of recent cases of unprovoked attack by criminal elements who do not want a peaceful election in the State.
"We strongly call on Security Agencies to please rise to their duties and work on the available information and bring to justice all the persons who are directly or indirectly involved in this needless attack to our people no matter how highly placed they are or the political party of their affiliation.
"On another development, the Directorate of Information, Divine Mandate Campaign Council is aware of the plans of the opposition Political Parties to use external mercenary to launch attacks on the integrity of our Divine Mandate administration and the personality of the APC Candidates ahead of the Governorship/State House of Assembly Elections. We are aware of the dirty deal between a Governorship Candidate of an opposition political party and a group called Civil Society Committee for Anti-Fraud Election Security whose team leader came all the way from Delta State and was quartered at Anson Suite Limited for many weeks. These political jobbers headed by one Iyere Kenedy did a Press conference in Enugu State recently raining all forms of abuses and leveling all forms of unfounded accusations against our Party, the APC and the Divine Mandate administration of our dear Governor and the security architecture in the State. We shall notjoin issues with them.
"For the records, the so called Civil Society Committee on Anti-Fraud Election Security never monitored the General elections in Ebonyi State, but was in the State at the instance of one of the Governorship candidates of the opposition political parties with a mission to do a Press conference to attack the integrity of APC administration in Ebonyi State. We have records of the hotel their leaser slept and the controversies he stirred on the (Lovers Day) 14th of February, 2023 at Anson Suites Limited, Abakaliki. The said Iyere Kenedy was busy dropping names of senior security agencies as his friends when the management of the hotel he was quartered caught him as he was planning to run away from the hotel with his cronies without paying his hotel accommodation bills that had accumulated to close to Six hundred Thousand Naira (N600,000.00)
"Eye witness account has it that the said team leader of so called Civil Society Committee on Anti-Fraud Election Security, was evading payment of his accumulated hotel bills when the men of the Neighbourhood Watch were alerted. It was at that point that the Civil Society Leader of Civil Society Committee on Anti-Fraud Election Security had his sponsors to transfer money to his account which he in turn paid to the hotel management before he was allowed mercifully to go with his troubles. The receipt of the Hotel and the evidence of the transfer he made, including his details are with us.
"We decided to make this clarification so that the members of the public can see the level of desperation of opposition elements and their cronies including the Civil Society Committee on Anti-Fraud Election Security.
"We urge the good people of Ebonyi State not to me moved by the antics of the opposition elements, but to stand focused in our decision to vote the party that has made Ebonyi State a reference point in good governance.
"God bless you as we stand together in our decision to vote for Rt. Hon Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru and all the APC House of Assembly candidates on the 18th March, 2023".
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