The All Progressives Congress (APC), in Ebonyi State has accused the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) of being behind the killing of the Councilor representing Echara ward 2, Okposi community in Ohaozara LGA of Ebonyi State, Mr Ogbonnaya Ugwu.
The deceased, it was gathered, was ambushed and shot dead and burnt inside his car by unknown gunmen while returning from his drinking joint in Okposi known as ANGLE 90 around 10pm on Saturday.
Briefing Journalists on the incident, on Sunday, the State Chairman of APC in the State, Chief Stanley Okoro-Emegha, condemned the murder of the Councillor and called on the security agencies to move into the area and fish out the perpetrators.
Okoro-Emegha expressed displeasure that despite the efforts of Governor David Umahi to ensure absolute peace and unity in all parts of the State, politicians who are hungry for power were working hard to frustrate it.
He alleged that thugs imported in Ebonyi State by governorship candidates of opposition parties from all parts of the country for the purpose of elections were the ones involved in the incessant killings across the State and called on the security agencies to take immediate actions.
He warned those involved in the killings of people in the State because of quest for political power to have a rethink and toe the path of peace.
Okoro-Emegha said: "We are Ebonyians and we will continue to be Ebonyians. The killings of our people because of quest for power is barbaric and uncalled for. These killings may leave a mark that might be difficult to erase if caution is not taken.
"You all can attest that Governor David Umahi since he assumed office has been doing everything legally possible to ensure there is peace and unity in Ebonyi State. He has also done tremendously well in terms of transformation of the State. So, why don't we give him support? Why are we sending assassins to kill our brothers because of politics?
"Recall that before the commencement of this campaign, I raised the alarm that these people coming to contest Governorship position do not live in Ebonyi State. They are not on ground and the resultant effect is that they are going to be mobilizing thugs into Ebonyi State from all parts of the country in the name of campaign and securing votes. You can't use the killing of your own brothers as an avenue to secure votes from the people.
"A Councillor who did nothing; he was voted by the masses to represent them and you went and killed him. What do you intend to achieve? Even when he was shot, he still drove himself in search of where he could be given medical attention, they still trailed him till the time he became weak, hit his car somewhere, and couldn't drive again, before they burnt him inside his car.
"What could make people indulge in this kind of barbaric act? By the grace of God the election will come and gone by next Saturday and some people will be battling with their conscience. These opposition parties, the LP, PDP, APGA, etc, are we not Ebonyians again? Why should someone because he wants to be a Governor send people to go and kill innocent people and you think you can be Governor? It's God who makes kings, people only come to celebrate with he that God has made a king. We are suspecting that the PDP people killed the Councillor.
"I want to let the IGP, DSS and INEC know that with the gravity of crime some of these Candidates contesting elections in Ebonyi State have committed, they deserve to be disqualified, because they can't finish killing the people they say they want to govern and the law will let them free. But one thing I'm sure is that what they are doing can't get them power, it will end up hunting them for life.
"On behalf of the APC in Ebonyi State, I call on the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police and the Director of DSS to fish out the killers of the Councillor for them to face the full wrath of the law."
Reacting, the Director Media and Publicity, Ebonyi PDP campaign council, Chief Abia Onyike, said there was no truth in the allegations.
Onyike said:"I don't think there is any truth in that allegation, because it's a well known fact that we in the PDP have nothing to do with violence. We have complained severally that the APC have imported AK-47 rifles and other sophisticated weapons into the State and the State Governor is known to be someone who doesn't play by the rules and opposed to any form of lawful governance of the State.
"Fortunately, he has been the one stoking the ambers of violence in the State for a long time and they have been boasting that anybody that comes out to vote for the PDP in the next election of Saturday will be killed.
"So, they are the people stage-managing all these killings and we had giving an insight about it in my recent press release that they would soon start another round of killings, so as to rope in our Governorship candidate, Dr Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii. So, we are not surprised that they can go to this extend."END//
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