Enugu guber: Groups call for the arrest of Edeoga over violent and incitement
Chukwu Eze
Accountability and International Transparency for Democracy Advocacy have called on the Department of State Security (DSS) and the Nigeria Police to immediately order for the investigation, arrest and prosecution of the governorship candidate of Labour Party in Enugu State, Chijioke Edeoga, over his call for violence at the Independent National Electoral Commission’s office.
Edeoga, who lost the governorship election to the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Barr. Ndubuishi Mbah, as the results of the 17 Local Government Areas have been admitted by the State INEC Returning Officer, called on his supporters to arm themselves and disrupt the ongoing process at the INEC office. In some WhatsApp groups where the Labour Party candidate belongs, he personally sent inciting messages in those groups calling for members of the party to storm INEC office in order to truncate the democratic process.
He equally sent out some short messages through his cell phone to people directing them storm and resort to violence at the INEC office on Monday morning when the process is expected to be concluded by the commission.
However, many citizens in the state have been alarmed by the call and incitement, sharing concerns that Edeoga was bent at setting the state on fire through his do-or-die politics. Reacting to the incendiary statements, the Chairmen of the civil society groups, Dr. Armani Ikechukwu and Chief Sunday Ugwuoke, in a joint statement issued by them, urged the DSS and the police to immediately arrest Edeoga to forestall crisis in the state. They wondered why Edeoga is interfering in the peaceful process of the election, saying it’s a plot to thwart the collective will of the people through the means of violence. The groups further charged the security agencies to be at alert as thugs sent by the Labour Party would swing into action by disrupting normal activities of the good citizens of the state, adding that Edeoga be held responsible for any outbreak of riot. The statement urged Edeoga to approach the court over any grievance he has with the electoral process rather than taking the law into his hands.
