SAFEGUARDING THE 2023 GENERAL ELECTIONS IN EBONYI STATE AND PREVENTING A STATE OF ANARCHY

 

_Being a communique by Coalition of Ebonyi State Frontline Governorship candidates (AA, APGA, LP, PDP, YPP) from its meeting on October 23, 2022._

 

 Ebonyi State is a relatively young state, having been created alongside five others on October 1, 1996. As such, we just celebrated the 26th anniversary of the state's creation three weeks ago.


 Within those 26 years, the state has made appreciable strides in the areas of human capital and physical development. In the space of those 26 years, the state has passed through two military administrators and subsequently, three democratically-elected governors.

 

 On March 11, 2023, Ebonyi State will join other 27 states to elect a new governor and continue the march towards socio-economic development.


 However, it is regrettable that barely one week after our people celebrated the 26th anniversary of the creation of the state, strange and unimaginable things began to happen


 The first sign of the descent to fascism was when some civil servants were publicly flogged by security forces on the directives of the state chief executive.


The flogging of civil servants, greater inhuman acts were meted to innocent citizens who were engaged in a walk for peace for Mr. Peter Obi and the Labour Party (LP). Without provocation or disorderly conduct, these harmless and unarmed citizens were pelted with teargas and clubbed in reckless abandon, maiming and wounding many.


 That inexplicable attack on the Obidients, as supporters of Labour Party and Peter Obi are called, showed that the state government has adopted tyranny and disdain for political freedom as its strategic for repression.


As if those shows of shame were not enough, our people woke up two Sundays ago to the strange news of the abduction of a former two-term member of the House of Representatives, Hon Linus Abaa Okorie, in Abakaliki, the state capital.


  While Ebonyians were roused by concerns for the whereabouts and safety of the former federal lawmaker, it was revealed that Hon. Linus Okorie was disappeared by operatives of the Ebubeagu militia, which operates with impunity at the orders of the state governor.


  Nigerians, particularly Ebonyians at home and abroad, were surprised by the chilling stories of barbarism from the state, which suggested a descent to established sponsored terrorism.


 To make matters worse, based on the national outrage sparked by the abduction and torture of Hon. Linus Okorie, the Ebonyi State government, working in cahoots with some overzealous security personnel in the state, hurriedly levied charges on Okorie.


   The speed with which the police and the magistrate court accomplished the arraignment and incarceration of Okorie left nobody in doubt that a clear case of political witch-hunt and a brazen attempt to levy fear on members of the opposition political parties was on display.


 The development generated alarm, curiosity and much concern given that Hon. Linus Okorie is the Senatorial candidate of Labour party for the February 25 National Assembly election. By virtue of his candidacy, the LP is a major contender for the Ebonyi South Senatorial seat as Governor David Umahi.


  Nigerians remember that a similar strong arm tactics were deployed by the governor to displace Mrs. Anne Agom-Eze from the Senatorial contest within their party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).


   But, all pretences that a well-coordinated plan to frighten away political rivals and create a state of helplessness for Ebonyi State voters was being executed disappeared, when the governorship candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof. Benard Odoh, and his supporters were attacked by same gun-wielding Ebubeagu guerrillas


 Prof. Odoh, has made necessary reports to the appropriate authorities about the attempt on his life and destruction of campaign vehicles.

 

Based on the foregoing, it has become apparent that Governor David Umahi has perfected plans to unleash violence on other political parties to ensure that they do not freely campaign for votes in readiness for next year's general elections.


   Nigerians are well aware of the violence tendencies of the outgoing Ebonyi State governor, which time will not permit us to chronicle, particularly his aversion to free contest and democratic ideals. In the past, many citizens have been abducted in similar gestapo-like operations by Ebubeagu and state-sponsored thugs, taken to known government facilities and tortured.  


The cases of Charles Otu a journalist operating in Ebonyi who was abducted and tortured, Peter Okutu a reporter with the Vanguard Newspapers who was banned from the government house and many others are still fresh. Many Ebonyians are reported to still be languishing in the Ebubeagu torture chambers in old government house Abakaliki.


  It is necessary to note that Umahi's frustration and malevolence heightened after his misadventure of defecting to the unpopular APC without the full complement of PDP stakeholders as he envisaged. As such, having been left alone as a General without troops, Umahi now thinks that the only way to assert dominance in the Ebonyi polity is through violence and mayhem. 

 

 We want to use this opportunity therefore to alert Nigerians about the mischievous and desperate antics of Governor Umahi, which is capable of thwarting the 2023 general elections and throwing the state into chaos.


 While we continue to appeal to all our supporters to remain calm and not take the law into their hands, to prevent pushing the state deeper into anarchy, it is imperative that we let the world know what is happening in Ebonyi and join hands to stop the madness.  


Consequently, arising from the above, we the governorship candidates of the five engaged parties, otherwise known as Coalition of Ebonyi State Frontline Governorship candidates, namely, Labour Party (LP), Dr (Sir) Edward Nkwegu; Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Ifeanyi Odii; All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA), Prof. Benard Odoh, Action Alliance, (AA) Engineer Chukwuma Nwandugo and Young Progressive Party (YPP), Sunday Opoke, wish to categorically state: 

 

That we totally condemn the unlawful and dangerous actions of the ruling APC government led by Engr. David Umahi to deliberately derail the campaign including:


- Deliberately instituting a state of fear, intimidating and attacking candidates and supporters of other parties in the state by the ruling 


- Destruction of billboards, posters, vehicles, offices and other campaign materials.


- Prevention of use of public spaces for campaigns contrary to INEC guidelines


- That we are calling on the Federal Government security agencies: NSA, DSS, Police, Civil Defense, Army and others, to urgently look into the abuses in Ebonyi state by Ebubeagu and state sponsored thugs, address them and restore peaceful co-existence.


- That the Ebubeagu militia be dismantled as a matter of urgent national security imperative


- That all Ebubeagu militia members that were involved in the attacks on Linus Okorie and Prof. Benard Odoh and other Ebonyians be arrested and prosecuted. 


- That the Inspector General of Police critically investigates the gross abuse of their mandate by the police in Ebonyi State who now seem to be actively promoting the wrong doings of the state militia – Ebubeagu, e.g. in the case of Linus Okorie where the police is justifying Ebubeagu arresting a citizen and detaining him in their facility for days.


- That the recent actions of the police supporting Ebubeagu, a quasi-security outfit runs contrary to the directives of the IG on the use of such outfits which is why the Ebonyi cases raises cause for alarm.


 - That the leaders of the National Peace Committee consider the necessity of administering oaths of good conduct and non-violence on Umahi and all those contesting for elective positions in Ebonyi State.


- That government and partners do all within their power to protect Ebonyians and safe-guard the sanctity of the electioneering process in Ebonyi State. 


- That Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), human rights activists and democracy watchdogs should beam their searchlight on Ebonyi to document the atrocities of Ebubeagu, state-sponsored thugs and the gross human rights abuses


- That the international community (UN, AU, ECOWAS, etc) and all embassies (US, EU and others) should investigate the gross abuse of human rights by the Governor David Umahi and other key actors in his government and review their requests for travels, as a strong signal to those who seek to derail our democracy and a demonstration of your commitment to protection of human rights and justice    

  

- That the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should take cognisant notice of the dire situation in Ebonyi State with a view to evolving necessary containment measures ahead of the 2023 polls in the state to ensure that INEC staff do not disappear like other victims of Ebubeagu terror gang.

 

Signed:

 

Dr. (Sir) Edward Nkwegu  (Labour Party)...

Chief Ifeanyi Odii (PDP)

Engr. Chukwuma Nwandugo (Action Alliance) ...

Prof. Benard Odoh, (APGA)...

Mr Sunday Opoke (YPP)