Suspected PDP thugs attack APC members in Enugu, as police denies opposition parties security

Members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Enugu State were on Wednesday brutally attacked by armed thugs suspected to be members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The thugs, who arrived at a meeting venue of the APC firing several shots, beat a councillorship aspirant of the APC into coma.

This was even as the police in the state refused to provide security at the venue of the councillorship and chairmanship primary elections of the opposition party for the November 2 general council elections in Enugu State.

DailyPost learnt that the APC members were attacked at a hotel in Agbani in Nkanu West Local Government Area.

They were said to be holding a meeting ahead of the primary elections of the party which held in Enugu on Thursday.

It was gathered that the armed men dispersed the APC members and gave an aspirant the beating of his life for refusing to leave the venue of
the meeting.

The victim, DailyPost gathered, was swiftly rushed to an undisclosed hospital where he is currently receiving medical attention.

Addressing journalists after the ward and council primaries of the party, the chairman of the local government primaries elections committee of APC in Enugu State, Dr. Ben Nwoye described members of the party in the state as “endangered species”.

Nwoye alleged that despite his visit to the headquarters of the state Police Command to request for security, the police refused to grant his request.

“It was to the extent that I went to the state police headquarters after the police division refused to provide us security.

“On getting to the police commissioner’s office, his personal assistant refused to even touch our letter. Things are these bad in Enugu State. So, I’m charging our members to be committed and courageous in the face of this persecution by the ruling party”, he stated.

The APC leader, however, called on the Inspector General of Police to come to their rescue.

Nwoye, who had earlier threatened to drag the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission, ENSIEC, to court over exorbitant fees it charged
counsillorship and chairmanship candidates of political parties, assured that the opposition party would wrestle power from the ruling PDP in November 2.

He said PDP was jittery because it had failed in Enugu State.

Meanwhile, when contacted, the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Ebere Amaraizu, DSP, said it was the responsibility of the police to provide security for all the political parties in Enugu State.

Amaraizu maintained the police had never discriminated against any party while discharging this responsibility in the state.

The police spokesman added that applications for security must be submitted earlier enough to the police, adding that the applications were
expected to pass through different processes.

He stated that it would be difficult for the police to process any application for security that was submitted it on the day of the event.

DailyPost recalls that members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of the state had earlier raised the alarm over alleged incessant attacks on their members by the PDP supporters.

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