The Peoples Democratic Party in Imo State on Saturday raised an alarm over what it described as the continued attempts by armed agents in the state to assassinate a member of the House of Representatives representing Ohaji-Egbema, Oguta and Oru West federal constituency, Hon. Uju Kingsley Chima.
Chima is also the PDP candidate for the constituency in today’s elections.
A statement by the Publicity Secretary of PDP in Imo State, Collins Opurozor, said he had escaped assassination twice including on Friday night.
He said, “Our party alerts Nigerians that in the last three days, our candidate has escaped by a whisker, two very brutal onslaughts targeted at his life. Just as he was wrapping up his campaigns at Umuapu in Ohaji-Egbema, three days ago, these state-sanctioned terrorists stormed the arena and unleashed mayhem on our candidate, not only sparing our party members and other innocent citizens of Imo State.
“Around 10 pm last night, the country home of our candidate at Umuorji in Egbema was invaded by truckloads of armed men who came in vehicles that included armoured personnel carriers. They took over his residence, cordoned off the entire area, and searched desperately for our candidate to murder. When they couldn’t get him assassinated, they visited unimaginable terror on everyone and everything in sight. They abducted his family members and political supporters and tortured even aged men and women to a pulp.
“Till this moment, the attacks are yet to abate, as an armoured tank is still stationed in front of his residence and the terrorists are still operating unhindered. This is happening in Imo state on election day!
“Despite the hues and cries that have been sent out by our party and our candidate since these attacks began, no security agency in the state has deemed it fit to take action and save lives and property at Umuorji, Egbema. This questions the neutrality and impartiality of the security establishment in Imo State.
“Our party notes that the last plot to gruesomely eliminate Hon. Uju Kingsley Chima was hatched immediately after the efforts by the bestial and rampaging Imo APC regime to frame him over some very dangerous criminal acts hit the rocks.”
Opurozor recalled that on December 25, 2022, the PDP had intercepted intelligence and duly alerted Nigerians to a very cruel conspiracy by agents of government to recruit some detained bandits in the state and pressurise them to implicate Chima as condition for their pardon and release.
He said, “In the aftermath of last night’s failed assassination attempt, it is curious that the propaganda arm of the Imo State government has been activated to peddle a very shameful tale, that our candidate was arrested by EFCC, DSS and the Police. This has, therefore, nailed the APC-led regime in Imo and established their full involvement in the attack.
“It is regrettably that governance in Imo has been reduced to a rogue enterprise. Treasury looting, bloodletting, arson, brigandage, forced disappearances and gangsterism have become key policies of the state under this unelected regime.
“Our party calls on President Muhammadu Buhari to wade into this matter and tame the gangsterism of Senator Hope Uzodinma and his henchmen.
Further, Imo PDP urges the Inspector-General of Police to commence investigation into the activities of the Tiger Base of the Imo State Police Command, with a view to unravelling the roles of that Base in these atrocious acts across the State.”