By Comfort Idenyi (Ebonyi State Correspondent)
The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State, on Saturday, raised the alarm over what it described as an alleged plot by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to arrest its prominent stakeholders.
Chairman of the Ebonyi State PDP, Tochukwu Okorie, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi capital, at the weekend. He alleged that the PDP had uncovered subterranean plans by the ruling APC government in Ebonyi State to link its party chieftains and other opposition party members in the state to killings that took place in the 13 Local Government Areas in the state.
Okorie said APC’s sole aim is to arrest and dent the image of the opposition party members, especially as the 2023 general elections approaches. He said, “We have it on good authority that on 10th of February 2022, Ebonyi State government called a meeting in which the attendees were essentially the leaders of Ebubeagu militia that operates in the state. There was a follow-up meeting yesterday (Friday) which was called to address the nagging issue of security in Ebonyi State.
“The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Ebonyi State chapter has raised an alarm following the incessant incidents of brutality and killings attributed to Ebubeagu Security operatives. Following the alarm, we raised, a number of persons have gone to court to challenge the legality or otherwise of the law that set up Ebubeagu and other matters. It is consequent upon those developments, that the said meeting was called.
“And in that meeting, they (APC government in Ebonyi) came out with a resolution, that going forward, the only way to stop the PDP and the opposition in the state from further challenging the brutality that Ebubeagu metes on the citizens of the state is to begin to implicate leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and other stakeholders who are in opposition parties in crimes and phantom situations in other to demoralize and whittle the popularity and influence that the PDP has commanded in the state” he stated.
Okorie, however, vowed that his party will not fold its arm and watch the ruling APC in the state blackmail, intimidate and attack its members, warning that, henceforth, it will match APC word for word and action for action.
In a swift reaction, the Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressive Congress in the state, Ogbuatu Simbad Chidi, tasked the main opposition party in the state to desist from working against the progress of the state government. He alleged that the PDP was crying wolf because Governor David Umahi dumped them and defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Ogbuatu said the governor is busy completing the massive projects his administration embarked upon and has no time to respond to the rantings of the PDP. NNL.
