Nonsochukwu Uwa, Owerri
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said hooded hoodlums attacked again with explosives the house of the candidate for the PDP Ideato House of Representatives, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, at Umukegwu-Akokwa, Ideato North Local Government Area of the state, on Tuesday, for the third time in less than two months.
The State Publicity Secretary of PDP, Collins Opurozor, disclosed this to newsmen in Owerri.
The main opposition party linked the attack to political intimidation to weaken the support base of Ikenga.
They, however, called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to intervene in the several attacks on the person of Ikenga.
According to PDP, “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alerts Nigerians that for the third time in less than two months, there was another bloody attack today, February 7, 2023, at the residence of our candidate for Ideato Federal Constituency, Barr. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere.
“Eyewitnesses are very exact and unanimous in their verdict that the hooded attackers were members of the state-backed Ebubeagu Militia Force who were said to have been stationed in Akokwa, just recently.
“This latest attack, apart from its core objective to assassinate Ikenga Ugochinyere, was also contrived to intimidate his supporters and weaken the resolve of Ideato people who are fully determined to elect Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere as member of the House of Representatives at the polls on February 25th, 2023.
“Recall that on December 23, 2022, the convoy of Ikenga was attacked as he returned home from Abuja, and he narrowly escaped death. On January 14, 2023, Ikenga’s residence in Umukegwu-Akokwa witnessed a bloody onslaught that left three persons, including his uncle, dead, thirty-two vehicles burnt to ashes and buildings levelled to the ground with explosives.
“Today, the state-sanctioned terrorists who rode in a convoy of vehicles that included an armoured personnel carrier returned to the very same residence with even more audacity, unleashing mayhem on the buildings and letting loose hell upon everyone at sight. We are yet to establish the casualties.
“It is to be stated unequivocally that the attacks on Ikenga Ugochinyere began immediately after he exposed the widespread compromise of the INEC voter register. This is what is now known as the Omuma Magic. Appointees of Senator Hope Uzodimma, particularly one Chinasa Nwaneri, had telephoned Ikenga and threatened to deal mercilessly with him whenever he would be sighted in Imo State. Since then, Ikenga Ugochinyere has come under attacks which have gulped human lives and assets valued in billions of Naira,” PDP said.
He continued: “What our Party finds deeply disturbing is that President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Government have remained silent over these continuous bloody attacks on our candidate by ostensible agents of the Imo APC regime. We are aware that Ikenga Ugochinyere has written a series of petitions to various security agencies and also to the National Security Adviser, yet Aso Rock has not deemed it necessary to call the rampaging petty dictator in Imo to order.”
