The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, of Abia State has raised an alarm over alleged desperate plans by a popular politician in Abia State to grasp power through the back door by kidnapping judicial officers and its members.
A statement issued on Sunday, July 3, 2016, the state publicity secretary of PDP, Sir Don Ubani, advised the challenger of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Dr. Charles Ogah to “retrace his nefarious steps” as he would regret the consequences of his action.
“The PDP in Abia State has frowned at the reports making round the state that a certain desperate politician in the state, whose illegal efforts to seize power from the backdoor has been frustrated by descent application of the rule of law, is now directing his evil machination towards kidnapping Judicial officers in the state with the hope of intimidating them in order to have access to power he did not canvass for,” the statement, made available to The Trent, said.
“We have also taken cognizance of the inordinately- ambitious politician’s plot to kidnap some top functionaries of our in the state. Intelligence reports available to us have revealed that the political desperado is embittered that the state executive of the Party did not come out to support his acts of illegality.
“The PDP is therefore cautioning him that is involved in this sacrilegious and bloody shenanigan to quickly retrace his nefarious steps as the likely consequences of his devious desires and mischievous plots would compound his imagination and would only leave him with regrets that may not be redressed or even corrected in his life’s time.
“We wish to remind him that he that throws stones into a crowded market should not forget that his loved ones could end up being the victims of his action,” Sir Ubani concluded.
This warning comes same day that the Abia State government warned of plots to kidnap judges and judicial officials in the state for the purpose of prosecuting the race to clinch the governorship seat by all means.
Abia Governorship Tussle
Governor Ikpeazu is facing a legal challenge from a bitter rival from the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Charges Ogah. A federal high court in Abuja disqualified Dr. Ikpeazu, last Wednesday on account of alleged forged tax returns.
Ikpeazu had filed an appeal and obtained a stay of execution, against the Justice Okon Abang judgement which threw Abia State into a leadership crisis by ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to issue a certificate of return to Ogah, who did not contest any election.
INEC went on to issue the certificate of return to Ogah in disobedience to the court injunction.
Meanwhile, a high court in Abia has issued an injunction against the swearing-in of Dr. Ogah. Reports from Abia on Friday claimed that the chief judge of the state had “disappeared”.
However, Sunday, Justice Theresa Uzokwe issued a statement denying the reports saying she is “on ground” in Umuahia, the state’s capital. She said the reports were the handiwork of desperate politicians.
“We have become children of war in Abia, and we must fight war,” Governor Ikpeazu told his supporters who trooped into Government House, Umuahia in solidarity on Friday, July 1, 2016.
