The leadership of the Labour Party in Abia State has condemned the rising wave of unprovoked acts of political violence being unleashed by agents of the Peoples Democratic Party-led government in the state against its members and supporters, as well as on properties belonging to the aforementioned persons.
The party leadership made the condemnation in a release jointly signed by the Labour Party State Publicity Secretary, Njoku Jerry Ajike and the spokesman of Alex Otti campaign organisation, Ferdinand Ekeoma, issued on Friday in Umuahia, the state capital.
The Abia LP regretted that its members and supporters have either been threatened, attacked in their houses, ejected from venues of meetings or prevented from holding peaceful gatherings in some cases.
“Being at worth Abia State government’s anachronistic strategy which is rooted in primitive violence and undemocratic extremism, we clearly understand that the intention of the government is to instil fear and panic in the minds of our supporters and other opposition members ahead of campaigns for the 2023 general election”, the party posited.
According to the Abia leadership, “Labour Party is a peaceful party made up of responsible and law-abiding citizens who are desirous of pursuing their political ambitions with decency and decorum devoid of violence and brigandage, and thus would not intentionally engage in acts of capable of breaching the peace of Abia State and endangering the lives and properties of Abians.
“Notwithstanding our peaceful disposition and dedication to pursuing our political ambition in adherence to the provision of our laws and all on own democratic tenets, we would not under any circumstance sit idly and watch Abia State government and PDP unleash their medieval brigands on our law-abiding members, supporters and indeed innocent Abians”.
The Labour party leadership claimed that the plot by the Peoples Democratic Party-led administration in Abia State to use false petitions to intimidate and illegally incarcerate her members, especially our candidates whom they consider threats to their ambitions, describing the act as one impunity Nigerians have resolved, to fiercely and fearlessly repel with every energy in them.
The Abia chapter of the party also insisted that the PDP-led government’s premature panic is a creation of calumnious failure in the governance of Abia State, hence their fear of taking part in a free and fair democratic contest that they know would give Abia people the opportunity to pass their Permanent Voters Cards induced guilty verdict on them.
According to the party, “the misdirected energy and misused resources being deployed to hound, harass and humiliate innocent Abians who are poised to get rid of the PDP come 2023 should be channeled to reviving and repositioning our key institutions that he are presently being grounded in high proportion as a result of the present government’s directionless leadership”.
The State party leadership also warned that its leaders, stakeholders and teeming supporters across the country would no longer tolerate any violent onslaught from the Peoples Democratic Party-led Abia government, urging the security agencies and indeed the general public on notice that the PDP-led Abia State government should be held accountable should there be any breakdown of law and order in Abia State.
Parts of the release stated, “A state being ravaged by insecurity to a point that its citizens from Umunneochi, Isuikwuato and its Surroundings cannot visit their homes or freely engage in business activities due to kidnapping should not have a government that’s so careless and insensitive to the point of abandoning such challenges and resorting to wasting public funds fighting imaginary political enemies, even after pocketing hundreds of millions from security vote every month.