By Amaka Evelyn
In reaffirming his promise that the forthcoming guber election in Enugu must be do-or-die affair, the senator-elect in Enugu North, Okey Ezea, and the Labour Party governorship candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, on getting information that the Catholic priests and the youths of the church had called the PDP guber candidate, Peter Mbah , governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, to come and have an interactive session with the congregation at Ugwu-Di Nso mobilized some thugs reportedly from Nsukka and other parts of the state to lay siege on the guber candidate.
A source who narrated the incident said that he saw numerous 4 buses dropping youths welding dangerous weapons who were totally strange from the youths gathered for the programme. The angry looking thugs who infiltrated the youths were said to have had team leaders who have been issuing orders to them in Nsukka dialect to do everything possible to incite the youths and possibly provoke the security to react in order to accuse Mbah of high-handedness.
Shortly after Mbah’s arrival with his entourage, the alleged Labour Party thugs started regrouping, threatening to spill blood if the entourage did not leave the environment. To bring their threat to fruition, the thugs sent by Edeoga and Ezea started attacking the vehicles but the drivers were able to maneuver their ways to a safe place as only the bus carrying the press team was badly attacked and damaged.
Our source also narrated that the situation made the security personnel attached to the guber candidate to take cover and maximally restrained themselves to avoid casualties. However, the thugs zoomed away when they saw heavy presence of armed police men after destroying the press bus and items being sold by retailers there.
Mr Mbah was said to have been welcomed by the joyful supporters in the church who were shouting “the incoming governor of Enugu state” until the thugs started threatening violence and incitement.
“I saw busses dropping large number of people this morning just before the road leading to the church. The youths who were numbered over fifty had some leaders in their midst who were issuing orders in Nsukka dialects. Shortly after they came, Peter Mbah landed with his convoy but was ambushed but their drivers were too smart to have escaped the angry-fierce looking men. Only one of Mbah’s convoy carrying his press team was badly destroyed”, our source narrated.
It was later reported that the Reverend Fathers came out along with other youths to welcome Mbah who later addressed the youth leaders even as they asked questions about his programmes for them, assuring them that his administration shall be governed with the principles of justice, equity and fairness as being taught by Christ.
The youths leader, Maxwell Ogwudire, who said they invited Mbah to come and share his ideas with them to enable them make decision on who to vote, tendered unreserved apology for the secret breach by the criminal elements that infiltrated the youths.
