ABAKALIKI – The Director General of the Divine Mandate Campaign Council, the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign organisation in the state, Chief Austin Umahi, has accused the Governor Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, Dr Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii of using fake security agents to intimidate the people and disrupt electoral processes in the State
“We raised an issue with the Commissioner of Police that situation where a governorship candidate of the PDP, Dr Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii will have trucks of Mobile policemen and the DSS is abnormal. The CP said it would be addressed but unfortunately, what we saw on Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections was shocking I’m sure this can only happen in a state with a governor who has peaceful dispositions. But they have crossed the red line,” Mr Austin Umahi said.
According to him, most of the persons in security uniforms that move with Chief Odii are thugs and the ruling APC can no longer watch that to continue.
Mr Umahi spoke on Monday night, at the campaign office of the state governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Francis Nwifuru in Abakaliki town, while briefing Journalists.
But Odii has countered the allegations, saying that the ruling APC in the State is the cause of security breaches and electoral malpractices witnessed in the last Saturday’s elections.
Odii said that he was entitled to security as a candidate of a political party and wondered why it’s giving the members of the ruling party sleepless nights.
“I have security people working with me because as a candidate of a political party I’m entitled to security. And if you check, they have been attacking candidates of other political parties. Perhaps, they are uncomfortable because I’m being protected very well by security which is my right as a Citizen of Nigeria and Governorship candidate of a political party.
“If they are saying that they are not legitimate security men, they can inquire from their offices instead of coming publicly to accuse federal government institutions. I don’t know why they are worried about the security men around me; is it that they want to carry out attack on us? They should know that power is transient,” Odii queried.
Mr Umahi wondered why Odii and some other opposition parties leaders, were allowed to go with security on election day when there was an order against such and urged the security agencies to race up to their duties, an allegation Odii denied saying, he didn’t go to his polling unit with any security operative.
Speaking on the role of Mr Linus Okorie, the candidate of the Labour Party for Ebonyi South zone, Mr Umahi said: “On the issue of thuggery, Linus Okorie is an expert. More than 150 thugs, Linus brought to this state, 32 of them were with him when they were arrested. As I’m addressing you, the 32 thugs with two vehicles are in the Army Barracks.
“Linus Okorie and his thugs on Saturday went to every polling unit, where we have the strength to burn down our votes, and bundle our supporters in trucks and this happened mostly in Onicha LGA and Isu, the home town of the PDP governorship candidate, Ifeanyi Odii.”
However, Chief Odii noted that the ruling APC were guilty of the allegations they were accusing him, the PDP and other opposition parties in the State but cautioned them to know that power is transient.
Odii said: “I’m not surprised by those allegations coming from them, but let me tell you that they are the ones doing that which they are accusing me of. If you know me very, you can attest what I stand for. I believe in anything that has legal backing. I can’t be part of any plan to cause disruption or any unrest in my own state. And if you check the way I have been moving about my campaign, I have shown enough disposition for peace.
“I use conventional security not thugs and none of them is fake. If they are in doubt, they verify from their offices. All the people that were arrested in the last Saturday’s elections including a former Commissioner are all APC people, none of them is a member of PDP. There is no any PDP person who is being detained because I cautioned all PDP faithful and my supporters to remain law abiding because I believe in the efficacy of the rule of law.”
