The All Progressives Grand Alliance, Ebonyi State chapter, has claimed that the the Ebonyi State Government is plotting to arrest its governorship candidate in the March 11 election, Prof. Benard Odoh.
According to the party on Friday, the plot by the government and the security agencies in the state is to prevent APGA gubernatorial candidate from participating in the election.
This was disclosed at a joint press briefing by its senatorial candidate for Ebonyi Central Zone, Dr Emmanuel Onwe and the Director of Media and Publicity, Ebonyi APGA Governorship Campaign Council, Charles Otu.
Addressing journalists, they alleged that the government intend to carry out the act on Monday.
Onwe lamented that several attempts to end the life of Odoh has been carried out by political hoodlums in the state while stating that security agents have failed to arrest any of the suspects.
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According to him, “The oppression and harassment of the governorship candidate of APGA is unacceptable. We have heard of the death of the Monarch of Ezza North LGA. Some people have written a petition indicting the APGA Governorship candidate, who is innocent of such a dastardly act.
“I want to sympathise with the APGA candidate. This is indeed a condemnable act, for people to try to rope Odoh in this case. Recall that on six different occasions, there have been attempts to assassinate him.
“My appeal to the people of Ebonyi Central and Ezza North is for them to remain calm. The IGP has been notified. And for those security agencies that want to eliminate him, they should desist from it.”
Speaking in the same vein, Otu said the information was leaked by a reliable source.
“We have it from reliable sources that the state government plans to arrest Prof Odoh and other key stakeholders of the party, on Monday. They want to make sure they come up with all manner of allegations to perpetuate this move. And they have detailed security agencies to this and, we warn that the police and other security agencies in Ebonyi State should not be allowed to execute this plan,” Otu said.
Reacting, the Special Assistant to Governor David Umahi on Media and Strategy, Chooks Oko, who stated that APGA has boxed itself to a clannish corner, added that it was only the guilty that should be afraid.
“The problem with the party called APGA is that it is always overrating its relevance among political parties in the state. Why would anyone waste its time plotting against a party that has boxed itself to a clannish corner?
“Security agents here do their job without government interference and thus cannot elicit connivance of any sort. They have been charged to do their job which we hope they will do without fear or favour. It is only the guilty that should be afraid,” he said.