The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Ebonyi state chapter has alleged intimidation of the senatorial candidate of the party, Chief Ifeanyi Eleje for next month’s Ebonyi south senatorial bye-election by the ruling party.
APGA through the 2023 governorship candidate Prof Bernard Odoh, disclosed this in a statement signed by the Director-General of his campaign organization, Samuel Agwu Okporie, and made available to journalists in Abakaliki, the state capital.
According to Odoh, Eleje and his supporters have been facing intimidation since the commencement of the campaign for the bye-election as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC).
Odoh noted that the intimidation was very high in Afikpo local government where Eleje hails from and warned against it.
“It is already in the public domain that Eight candidates of Eight political Parties cleared and published by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC for the February 3rd, 2024 Senatorial bye-election in Ebonyi South district had been ordered to kick off their campaigns which would only last for about two weeks. of course, it can be recalled that the development followed a judgment of the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos which in November last year ordered the conduct of a bye-election to be conducted within 90 days.
“The All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA Senatorial candidate in the last election, Sir Ifeanyi Eleje will undoubtedly be vying for the same position he had stunned political analysts and pessimists during the February 25th, 2023 poll by polling over 12, 000 actual votes and winning his Afikpo North Local Government Area very convincingly.
“It was on the premise of the above-stated fact that the candidate decided to run again and Ebonyi APGA stakeholders also took a bold decision to maximally support his second bid to the Red Chambers.
“Eleje who has been a successful entrepreneur, ESTABLISHED businessman should have seized the opportunity afforded by the rerun to approach the Ebonyi APC-led government for either an appointment or a settlement. Being an urbane and perfect gentleman to the core,
“Eleje is very focused on throwing his hat into the ring once again because he believes in his ambition and his clear chances of winning the election. He had added that already, as the said politician may be aware, the Essa Ehugbo Ruling Council (Ulo Ubi) which he had recently visited had not only given him their elderly blessings as they had done during the last election which of course, contributed immensely to his outright victory in the LGA but charged him to go ahead and canvass for votes even beyond the Afikpo North.
“That on Sunday, January 19th, the Chairman of Afikpo North Local Government Area, Mr. Uchenna Ibiam, popularly known as Uchman also rang one of Chief Eleje’s disciples.
“His instruction was clear and that is a warning that APGA should not hold any political rally within the LGA without first and foremost obtaining ‘clearance’ from him. The call was dreadfully suggestive that an impending danger awaited the Party if it continued with the INEC directive that candidates of all the eight contesting political Parties were at liberty to proceed with their political campaigns for the bye-election.
“That we in the Odohzia Campaign Council of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA Ebonyi State chapter wish to by this Press statement, alert the electoral umpire, the Ebonyi State government, security agencies, Essa Ehugbo Ruling Council, and indeed, the general public about the imminent threat to the official kick-off of campaigns by our Party’s candidate which is only in compliance to the directive of INEC.
“This is a period for campaigns that will even span for only less than two weeks to the election and APGA as a Party will not kowtow to the antics of any group of desperate politicians who may not be interested in convincing the electorates with reasons to garner their support but using brute force, threats, intimidations and even looming attacks or violence,” Odoh stated.
Meanwhile, the council chairman Uchenna Ibiam, is yet to respond to the alleged threat as his phone line when contacted was not reachable at the time of filing this report.
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