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…Enugu LP Chairman points fingers at PDP 

A worrisome political violence is creeping into Enugu State politics, ahead of the 2023 elections, with an attack by gunmen on Labour Party, LP’s members having a meeting in their party office in Awgu, headquarters of Awgu Council area.

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The gunmen were said to have stormed the venue of the meeting and shot sporadically, causing party members to flee.

The incident happened at about 5.30pm, at the weekend.

In a trending video of the attack, the hooded attackers were seen destroying canopies and chairs arranged for the meeting.

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The leader, in his narration, claimed that they were protecting their land from politicians who want to sell their land to their ‘masters’.

However, Chairman of Labour Party in the state, Casmir Agbo, alleged that the attack was from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and not from gunmen.

“They just came and started shooting, saying our party should not hold the meeting. They did not shoot anybody; they destroyed the canopies and seats; shot and damaged the car parked in the office.

“We know where it was coming from, it was from the PDP, it was not from gunmen; it was the handiwork of the PDP, we know”, Agbo alleged.

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Numbering about 10, the hooded gunmen said to have invaded the place on motorcycles ravaged the venue unchallenged.

Bragging in the video, the commander said: “We are here again to chase the idiots planning to conduct election in Biafra land and sell their lands to people.

“This is Enugu West senatorial district. We are here and working directly to ensure that this land belongs to the federal republic of Biafra.

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“We are here to protect the land and make sure nothing happens to it. We’re here in Awgu where these political jingoists are trying to host a meeting and sell our land.Thank God we are here. Burst the car, burst the car”.

Earlier, some LP members were also allegedly attacked by gunmen in Nenwe, a community in Aninri Local Government Area of the state.

The gunmen, numbering about four, had stormed the venue on two motorcycles.

It was not clear if they were the same gunmen that attacked party members in Awgu.

The Chairperson of the LP in the council area, Benjamin Ajah, who confirmed the attack said the attack at Nenwe happened at about 2 p.m.

He said the meeting was earlier billed to hold at the community secretariat, but was moved to the civic centre in the community after the administrator of the secretariat, Israel Anih, asked the party members to vacate the complex.

“Mr Anih said we should not hold the meeting at the secretariat,” the party chairperson said.

The administrator of the secretariat, Mr Anih, is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

“We just finished arranging the hall and were just about saying our opening prayer for the meeting when the armed men came and pursued us. They started shooting and we ran.”

Mr Ajah said no life was lost and that the attack has been reported to the police.

Meanwhile, the Labour Party has condemned the attack on its members, describing it as unprovoked, in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Arabambi Abayomi.

(Vanguard)