By Okey Maduforo Awka.
The duo of Anambra state chapter of the Labour Party and the Edozie Njoku faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA yesterday traded words with Gov Charles Soludo over the sealing off of their respective offices I. Awka , Anambra state.
While the duo are pointing accusing fingers at the Gov Soludo , the state government is contending that they knew nothing about the incident.
The Secretariat complexes of the two parties are located at Udoka Estate in Awka capital town.
The State Secretary of Labour Party, Barrister John Chibunna Okoli-Akirika who raised the alarm in a statement to newsmen on Tuesday in Awka described the action as illegal, intimidating and obnoxious.
Also, National Chairman of APGA, Chief Edozie Njoku when contacted on phone by our Correspondent on Tuesday confirmed that he got information on the sealing of the party’s head office by state government officials.
He disclosed that he was consulting with the National Secretariat of APGA in Abuja on the matter and would take necessary action based on the outcome of his consultation.
Chief Njoku said, “It is true, I got the information this morning (Tuesday) that he party office was sealed by government agency. So, I am consulting on that with the National Secretariat. It’s over the consultation that will necessitate the action we take. So, I have to know the true facts on ground and my Secretaries are making calls; once we have gotten the true picture then we can have a proper and true reaction.”
The latest development is coming with about a month to the September 28th 2024 date for election into the 21 local government areas of Anambra’ state,
Okoli-Akirika said the action of the state Governemnt was carried out without notice, warning, nor any form of engagement with the Labour Party.
According to the LP scribe, the agents of the Anambra State Government accompanied by men dressed in soldiers uniform stormed the Labour Party Anambra State office and in a maniacal, frenzied and frenetic commando like operation, chased away the staff in the office and sealed the office
He said that, “It is rather unfortunate, bizarre, and brazen that the Anambra State Government, which is fruitlessly seeking to truncate statutorily emplaced procedures to select Local Government Chairmen and councillors in the deviously convoluted local government election, is now mindlessly resorting to underhand, illegal and obnoxious intimidation.
While appealing to teeming Labour Party members, supporters, sympathisers, stakeholders and Ndi Anambra in general, he said that the State leadership of our great Labour Party shall, as law abiding Anambrarians have recourse to due process to contain and checkmate this unprovoked and untramelled illegality.
Mr. Christian Aburime, Press Secretary to Governor Soludo when contacted on the matter said he was not aware of the development but refered this paper to the Special Adviser (SA) on Political Matters, Mr. Obiogbolu
Obiogbolu in reaction denied knowledge of any move to seal off Labour Party office or any other parties except that somebody called him to complain that agents of the State Housing Development Corporation asked them to leave their residential building at Udoka estate.
“I am not aware of that (any attempt to seal off Labour Party’s office) except that somebody called me to complain that they were being asked to leave and I asked them where, he told me Udoka Estate and I called the Housing Development Corporation to know whether there was anything, they said yes that they had given them warning that the landlord converted the place to commercial and they failed to make an application and that this thing has been on; that they converted residential place into commercial. I am not aware it’s a party Secretariat,” he said5
