March 15, (THEWILL) – Supporters of the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in Abia State, on Wednesday, raised a security alarm and urged their principal to cancel his proposed visit to Abia on Thursday, March 16, 2023.
In a similar development, Ukwa-Ngwa Youths Vanguard, a socio-cultural organisation of youths from the nine LGAs of Ukwa-Ngwa land in Abia State, has equally said that Obi’s proposed visit on Thursday, is divisive and provocative
A statement signed by Mazi Chetachi Ikpe, Coordinator, Peter Obi Grassroots Movement (POGM), Abia State and Hon Chief Ndubueze Obiakwata, Chairman, Obidient Across Parties Alliance (OAPA) on behalf of Abia Obidients, said his visit will heighten the already tense political atmosphere in the state, adding that the visit is a setup fraught serious security threats.
Other groups involved in the statement are Peter Obi Support Movement (POSM), Women for Peter Obi Alliance (W4POA), Obidient Abia Youths Forum (OAYF), Abia Obidients Vanguard (AOV), Peter Obi National Movement (PONAM), Abia Obidients Students Forum (AOSF), Abia Obidient Traders Association (AOTC), and Abia Obidients Youth Alliance (AOYA).
The statement reads: “We are all members of various political parties, who all worked for the LP presidential candidate’s victory at the polls in the state and we are of the firm belief that Obi has played his part by coming severally to Abia to campaign for LP even though we (Abia Obidients) mobilised virtually all citizens of the state to vote for him at the just concluded presidential election.
“We, therefore, urge him to ignore those pushing him to come back, once again, to the state for LP campaigns as it could worsen the already tense security situation in the state, ahead of Saturday’s Governorship/House of Assembly elections,” It stated.
Meanwhile, the Ukwa-Ngwa Youth Vanguard, after an emergency national working committee meeting held in Aba, Abia State, on the state of affairs in Abia State regarding the forthcoming governorship election, urged Obi to remain neutral.
In a statement signed by Mazi Enyianyi Bright, National President, Ukwa-Ngwa Youth Vanguard and Hon Nwankwo Chukwudi, National Secretary, Ukwa-Ngwa Youth Vanguard, the youths urged Obi to shelve his visit to Aba, their domain, scheduled for Wednesday, March 16, 2023.
“Youths of the great Ukwa-Ngwa nation salute the Labour Party, LP, Presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, for making them proud by putting up a sterling performance in the just concluded presidential election.
“Even though he ran as a Pan-Nigerian candidate, we are proud of him as an Igbo son and thank Nigerians for obediently voting for him despite the electoral robbery we witnessed with INEC’s apparent complicity.
“We urge him to go all out and recover his stolen mandate, by all appropriate and legal means. However, as the owners of Aba-Ngwa (Enyimba City), we advise him to shelve his visit to Aba, our domain, scheduled for tomorrow, 16th March 2023.
“From our investigations, he is coming to campaign for Alex Otti, the LP Governorship candidate and it will be deemed by us as divisive and highly provocative.
“Regardless of party differences, we all voted for him during the presidential election. As such, the votes he got in Ukwa-Ngwa land and across Abia State were certainly not from only LP members.
“He has done enough to campaign for Otti and should allow Ndi Abia to decide who to vote for based on competence, credibility and capacity, regardless of party affiliation.
“His coming to Aba tomorrow against our advice will be very provocative and divisive. Rather, he should go to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where the State Governor, Nyesom Wike, brutally and violently robbed him of his electoral victory, not Aba, where our brother, Okezie Ikpeazu gave him total support in all ramifications to the extent of foregoing his senatorial ambition when he had the opportunity of applying the “Wike Style”, he said.
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