By Chinwe Imo-Eze Onwosi
The Ebonyi State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has raised alarm over the alleged circulation of arms by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to all the 171 wards across the 13 LGAs ahead the Governorship and State Assembly elections.
Speaking to Newsmen in Abakaliki, Director General of the party’s campaign council, Chief Austin Edeze, alleged the plot by APC to empower thugs with arms to disrupt governorship election and called on all security agencies in the state to mop up all arms aimed at constituting a threat to Saturday elections.
Edeze alleged that four AK-47 riffles have been distributed in each of the 171 wards across the state ahead of the Saturday governorship election in addition to the ones already in circulation, urged the security agents not to allow them to reoccur at the governorship poll.
He lamented alleged violence and irregularities that characterized the presidential and National Assembly elections in the state further alleged that a member of the party and corps member who served as INEC ad-hoc staff were killed in his polling unit during the elections.
Edeze said “last election was married by violence and irregularities. In my own polling units, a group of armed men with sienna vehicles snatched ballot boxes.
“At the collation center, they shot our member and a corps member who I learnt later died.
“The name of the person that was killed in my own polling unit, Ndi Ogbu Market Square in Ndiogbu Inyimagu ward, Ozoemena Nkwuda. The matter was reported in Iboko police station and was about to be transfered to the state police headquarters.
“But regrettably, some politicians in APC in Izzi local government have been meeting Ozoemena family to allow them bury Ozoemena but he can’t be buried untill the law takes its course. The man has a wife and three children.
“In some of the polling booths, there were swapping of votes. Votes of PDP were swapped which saw Nwebonyi a Senator Elect, it also same thing that saw Umahi a Senator Elect. They boasted about it.
“Having known that we were robbed in the last election, we will not be robbed again.
“APC shared four Ak-47 in each ward and if you multiply it by 171 wards in the state, you can know the number of guns in the state including the unofficial ones they had imported.
“Law enforcement agents should mop up all the arms APC imported into the state to disrupt the polls.
“Ours is self defence and protection of our votes, we will not be robbed again. We shall win the governorship poll”.
