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By Emma Njoku
Nkpologu Youths in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, yesterday, sent a Save-Our- Souls plea to Governor Peter Mbah over reported plans to choose one of their kinsmen, Chijioke Ezugwu as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the forthcoming local government election.
The youths, who addressed pressmen in Enugu, alleged that Ezugwu was convicted for the murder of their son, Okoro Philip Junior, on June 29, 2022, in their village, at midnight.
“He was accompanied on that mission by his ragtag goons nicknamed ‘Neighbourhood watch.’ They were nine in number who carried out the act. The case was ruled last year on January 27, 2023, at the Enugu State High Court and he was convicted and ordered to pay a compensation of N20 million before he appealed the judgment. The case is with the Appeal Court in Enugu where the hearing is expected to commence next month.
“We are appealing to you, our dear governor, not to allow such a man occupy any public position, pending the outcome of the appellate court judgment, as we are hearing that he is aspiring to become the chairman of Uzo Uwani LGA in the forthcoming local government elections slated for October 5. Such an individual is a threat to the socio-economic existence of our village as he will unleash hell if left to occupy this office.
“Just last Sunday, the family of his accomplice in the murder of Okoro Philip Junior visited our village, asking for forgiveness for their son’s participation in the murder of our son. Chijioke Ezugwu deserves to be locked up in detention until the court decides otherwise. Allowing him occupy such a sensitive position is not only an affront to the people of Nkpologu and the memory of the deceased, but also amounts to rewarding rascality and extrajudicial killing of perceived enemies. His goons are still armed up till and they go about as if nothing happened.”
The youths appealed to governor Mbah not to endorse him as the PDP candidate for the election, stating that “Nkpologu and Uzo_Uwani, in its entirety, remains one of the strongest areas in the state that is in support of the governor.
“The governor has so far proved that the massive votes we gave to him were not in vain, and we are ready to do more. So, he should listen to us when we raise the alarm over such a very grievous development, if it is true. This is our very humble way of alerting our dear governor that he should not make such a dangerous mistake in an area that voted massively for him.
“We are ready to vote for even a cripple or blind person that our amiable governor chooses, but not a person whose records are tainted with the blood of an innocent boy from our town.”
