The New Nigeria Peoples’ Party (NNPP) has raised an alarm that its governorship candidate in the November governorship election in Anambra State, Chief Leonard Uchendu has been missing in the last five days and may have been kidnapped by unknown persons.
Making the allegation in a letter to the Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi, in a letter dated October 7, and signed by Barr Fred Akokhia, Director Inter-Party Relations, the party said they are alarmed because of the unusual silence from the man in the last five days.
In the letter, the party said, “We will want to bring to your attention and notice that for over five days now our candidate has been in-communicado. To us, this is out of character for a man of the stature and pedigree of our candidate who knows that he needs all the period at this moment to embark on his campaign like all other candidates who have been cleared by INEC to contest in the November 16th 2013 election in Anambra State.”
The party which had called a press conference on Friday last week to raise an alarm over the threat to the life of the candidate, who is also the President General of Umuawulu Town, alleged at the conference that following a frivolous petition against their candidate from some aggrieved persons, some of whom are having a case in court with him, the Special Adviser on Chieftaincy and Town Union Matters to the governor, Sir G.N. Muofolu “wrote a letter to our candidate telling him to step aside from the position of President-General of Umuawulu Community a position to which he was given a free mandate by his community, while the Vigilante Group under his watch was disbanded.”
They alleged that the disbandment of the Vigilante Group which serves as security for the community has raised serious security concerns in the community.
The letter to the governor alleging kidnap, was also copied to President Goodluck Jonathan, the Senate President, Speaker, House of Representatives, Chief Justice of the Federation, National Security Adviser, Minister of Justice, Inspector General of Police, Chairman INEC, Chief Judge of Anambra State, Commissioner of Police Anambra State, Nigerian Human Rights Commission, Civil and Human Rights Organisations and media houses.
The party noted in the letter “Kindly refer to our letter dated 3rd October 2013 addressed to you on the issue of the intimidation of our governorship candidate in the forthcoming elections in your state. You would recall as enunciated in that letter how our candidate was being intimidated and threatened by some entrenched people in the state under your watch.”
“The conclusion anyone can make is the fact that the intention of those behind this untoward shenanigan is to put our candidate out of circulation so that he cannot like other candidates embark on his campaign. We are aware that All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) which you are the leader kick-started its campaign in Awka today the 7th of October 2013 which is a very good development.
“To effectively actualize their devilish intentions there is now a reasonable possibility that our candidate has been effectively put out of circulation by his kidnap. There is no doubt that our candidate is very popular in the state which may have become a threat to some people.”
When contacted, legal adviser to Uchendu, Barr. Tony Anazor confirmed the fears, noting that he last heard from the candidate on Thursday last week when the booked appointment to meet later that evening but was surprised that when he got to the hotel he was told Uchendu had checked out leaving no information.
His security was withdrawn and he was supposed to get another security today(yesterday) from Abuja, but now he is nowhere to be found,” Anazor said.
Calls put through to the MTN phone number of the candidate could not go through as the phone was switched off.
