The Owukpa Advocacy Forum (OAF) condemned in totality the alleged unfortunate physical attack on a Special Assistant on Print and Electronic Media to Senator Abba Moro and Deputy Editor at Daily Post, Ameh Comrade Godwin by political thugs believed to have been sponsored by a former caretaker chairman of Ogbadibo LG area of Benue State, Hon Samuel Odoh Onuh.
Ameh was allegedly ambushed and attacked at a location in Area 8, Abuja on Wednesday when his brother, Fred Apochi was used to lure him into the hands of the enemies who battered the victim with all manner of assaults.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Mr David Abakpa, the community development and human rights advocacy group lamented the recklessness and dastardly act of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chairmanship candidate of Ogbadibo local government in the forthcoming council election in the state, who was supposed to be the ‘chief security officer’ of the council area.
The group, in strong terms, blame the State and the Council PDP chairmen for imposing a candidate with questionable character on the people.
OAF said, “We condemn, in strong term, the dastardly act of the perpetrators. No matter how things have gone bad in Nigeria, where was such thing heard that a chairmanship candidate of a party led his thugs personally to attack someone who was not supporting his ambition? It’s quite undemocratic and uncivilised!
“Existence of different political parties give room for opposition and criticism. A good politician knows that everybody cannot be on this same page with him or her and there is ‘no permanent friend or enemy in politics’.
“So tell us why should Owukpa man should hunt his fellow Owukpa brother to Abuja with the intention to take life out of him? This is never our practice and it stands unacceptable! Even when he emerged as the sole candidate of the PDP, the coordinator of this forum, in spirit of sportsmanship, congratulated him on his Facebook page. So what else would warrant attack on any of our member?
“Onuh’s emergence as the PDP chairmanship candidate was widely criticised by well-meaning Owukpa youths because he snatched the mandate from a rightful Ward in Itabono community in the name of ‘anointed’ choice of the state governor, Dr Samuel Ortom. Google ‘Ogbadibo Council Poll’ and ‘Benue Council Elections’ and you would be surprised at the outcry of the people against the chairmanship candidature of Onuh. Yet he was given the ticket and we all congratulated him.
“This is why we must blame the state governor and the leadership of the PDP for all these attacks and threats to lives coming from their “anointed” candidate and they should be ready to take responsibility for his actions and inactions.
“On this note, while we are calling on relevant security agencies to apprehend the perpetrators of the attack, we are also raising the alarm of further threats to attack any other members of the forum including the Managing Editors, Ali Abah Adoyi and David Abakpa of Daily Post and Afripost Newspapers respectively.
“Any attack on any Owukpa son or daughter anywhere in the world, is attack on all of us.
“We, therefore, call on Onomo K’Owukpa, Owukpa Traditional Council, members of ODA, DPO of Otukpa Police Station, Benue State Commissioner of Police, DIG in charge of North Central, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and other security agencies to please take note should anything happen to any member of this group including the afore-mentioned names.”
