From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
The leadership of the Imo State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has raised the alarm over an assassination attempt on Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the spokesman of Coalition of United Party Parties (CUPP) and the PDP candidate for Ideato federal constituency for the 2023 National Assembly polls.
The party has also called on the Inspector-General of Police for the immediate arrest and prosecution Nze Chinasa Nwaneri, Special Adviser (Special Duties ) to Governor Hope Uzodimma for the failed assassination bid on Ikenga Imo on Friday,23 December.
The party said that at about 7:30 pm Friday, December 23, the convoy of our candidate was ambushed in Ideato by hooded armed men led by Nze Chinasa Nwaneri who allegedly unleashed mayhem on the vehicles, snatching away some cars, including one that had a heavily pregnant woman inside it.
The party also noted that before the attack on the convoy of Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere on Friday 23 December, had received a torrent of threats by agents, appointees of the Uzodimma administration immediately after he exposed an attempt to derail the 2023 elections through voter registration fraud in Omuma Ward, Governor Hope Uzodinma’s village.
The Imo PDP said that the failed attempted assassination of its candidate is now evident that there is something the regime of Senator Uzodinma is not telling Imo people and Nigerians about the intractable insecurity in the State.
A press release signed by Collins Opurozor, State Publicity Secretary, read:
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State has condemned in the strongest terms the attempted assassination of our candidate for Ideato Federal Constituency, Barr Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, by bloodthirsty elements working for the state Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma.
“At about 7:30 pm, yesterday, December 23, the convoy of our candidate was ambushed in Ideato by hooded armed men who unleashed mayhem on the vehicles, snatching away some cars, including one that had a heavily pregnant woman inside it.
“On the authority of eyewitnesses’ accounts, the onslaught was led, commanded and supervised by a notorious appointee of Senator Uzodinma’s regime, Nze Chinasa Nwaneri.
“Before yesterday, our very popular candidate, Ikenga Ugochinyere, had received a torrent of threats by agents, appointees, lackeys and henchmen of the failed Imo government. All of these began immediately after our candidate exposed a deeply troubling attempt to derail the 2023 elections through voter registration fraud. Hundred of thousands of fake and alien names and photographs had been imported into the INEC register in Omuma Ward, which is Senator Hope Uzodinma’s village. This is what Nigerians now refer to as the Omuma Magic.”
Continuing, the statement said: “In the aftermath of that, the regime of Senator Uzodinma had arrested Some INEC officials who were wrongly accused of releasing intelligence on the mind-boggling electoral fraud. The administration of Uzodinma further instituted multiple court actions against Ikenga Ugochinyere. However, our candidate came out victorious in all of them.
“As a result of those deserved frustrations, an appointee of Gov Uzodinma, one Chinasa Nwaneri, telephoned Ikenga Ugochinyere and threatened fire and brimstone upon him if he stepped his feet on the soil of Imo State. And yesterday, our candidate arrived in Imo from Abuja and was brutally attacked precisely as was threatened.
“Imo PDP, therefore, states unequivocally that, by the attempt to eliminate our candidate, Ikenga Ugochinyere, who has done no wrong against anyone, the regime of Senator Uzodinma has brought war upon us, and we shall no longer remain silent.
“This attack on Ikenga Ugochinyere has raised very pertinent questions about the role of the regime of Senator Uzodinma in similar attacks, killings and abductions across the State which are always attributed to unknown gunmen.
“It could be recalled that the apex Igbo leadership group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide had just last week, revealed through its youth wing that the unknown gunmen which have made life a misery in Imo are a band of killers within the convoy of Senator Hope Uzodinma. It is telling that till this moment, the government of Imo State has not responded to this very weighty revelation by Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
“With all of these, it is now evident that there is something the regime of Senator Uzodinma is not telling the Imo people and Nigerians about the insecurity in the state.
“Our party calls on the Inspector General of Police to immediately arrest and prosecute Chinasa Nwaneri who was caught on tape threatening Ikenga Ugochinyere prior to the attempted assassination. Also, the Federal Government should, without any further delay, place Senator Hope Uzodinma on its terror watchlist and commence painstaking investigations into the attacks, killings and abductions in Imo State to unearth and unmask the real perpetrators and sponsors.”