From Mba Nnenna – Abakaliki.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Ebonyi State Chapter have accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) led government of Ebonyi State of launching attacks on PDP members who testified as witnesses against the APC before the Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja.
In a statement signed by the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the PDP in the State, Dr Augustine Nwazunku, and made available to Journalists in Abakaliki, on Thursday, alleged that cases of attacks on some PDP Witnesses who testified before the elections Tribunal at Abuja on return to their respective homes, in Ebonyi State by the APC hitmen had been recorded.
“Some were brutally attacked by APC hired thugs with their families essentially chased out of their house while business interests of our members farm was poisoned with yet to be verified chemical. Over twenty thousand fish fingerlings were physically damaged in some of the episodes of attacks,” the PDP alleged.
The Party further alleged that APC Chieftains and leaders had been going round in Communities and parts of the Local Government Areas of the State to threaten PDP faithfuls preparing to go to testify as Witnesses before the Tribunal to stop or have themselves to blame.
“The APC Government has threatened to deal with any Ebonyi citizen seen to be hob-nobing with the members of PDP in Ebonyi State,” the statement added.
According to the PDP, the APC government has mobilized all the Council Chairmen to set up Task Forces for the harassment and intimidation of PDP potential Witnesses whom they suspect could be preparing to travel to the Tribunal in Abuja to testify against the APC over the rigged 2023 Governorship Elections in the state.
The Party, therefore, called on the security agencies to intervene before the State is thrown into another violence and bloodshed.
“We therefore wish to seize this opportunity to call on Security Agencies to intervene in the matter and stop the APC from throwing the state into another round of violence and bloodshed after the abominable atrocities the Ebonyi State citizenry were subjected to during the last crises-ridden elections, a situation they are still gradually recovering from.
“It is extremely disturbing that a party that claimed to have won elections can not allow a free and unfettered trial of the case at the Election Petition Tribunal.
“They should be stopped from witch-hunting our Witnesses. We shall never fold our hands and allow the APC to continue to destroy people’s lives and properties. Enough is enough!”, the statement concluded.
Reacting to the allegations, the State Chairman of the APC, Chief Stanley Okoro-Emegha, described it as unfounded and challenged the PDP to bring up an evidence of the alleged attacks on its members before the public.
Okoro-Emegha said the APC led government of Ebonyi State is too busy with Governance to be distracted by any person or group and urged the PDP to put their house in order and desist from making wide allegations.
According to him, the APC led government of Ebonyi State is not losing sleep about tribunal cases to warrant attacking anybody let alone the PDP members.
“These people are confused. Do they think that making wide allegations against the APC led government of Ebonyi State will make them relevant? The election petitions tribunal is sitting in Abuja and we are very busy with governance here in Ebonyi. We have lawyers representing us,” Emegha added.
