August 23, (THEWILL) – The Ebonyi All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) gubernatorial candidate, Professor Benard Ifeanyi Odoh, has called on the Ebonyi State Police command, to immediately commence investigations into the attacks on the party’s billboards, in order to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.
A statement by the APGA gubernatorial candidate, Professor Benard Odoh, tagged, ‘continuous attacks on opposition parties in Ebonyi State by paid desperate political thugs’, stated that series of events in the last couple of weeks has left Ebonyi State in sour taste.
According to him, there have been limitless intimidations, harassments and attacks on opposition elements and as habitual, the denials cum reactions emanating from the government of Engr David Nweze Umahi.
The statement reads in part, “The genesis of the mindless attacks on our billboards which occurred last night, Sunday, August 21, 2022, (because we saw it still hanging hours after the professional handlers, Rocana Nigeria Ltd had hung them) was that the State government, obviously jittery of the momentum gained by our consultative engagements in the State so far, pasted a “Remove Ads” notices on them.
“The “Remove Ads” was as a result of our advertising handlers refusal to surrender the billboards which we had already paid for to the APC Candidate who had earlier requested for them at all cost. ROCANA are not in any way and form owing the state government.
“As law abiding citizens who understands the place of professional engagements in matters such as this, it was only incumbent that we reach out and inform the advertising agency- Rocana, which has professionally operated in the state and the entire south east in the last few decades about the “remove ads” notices placed by the Ebonyi State Government on the billboards with its official seal. They promised to reach the state government and get back to us as soon as practicable.
“Some hours after, we discovered that the billboards have already been torn and removed forcefully, suspectedly by desperate agents of the state government.
“Some of the billboards are still hanging, facing downwards and there have been no explanation offered. The professional advertising agent – Rocana, who has maintained that it has been paying the Ebonyi State Government its taxes, dues and other rates as and when due.
“To prove our fears and suspicion right about the ill-intentions of these dastard and coward actors, we discovered that other places where the same Rocana had billboards of other products were not touched and neither was the same “remove ads” notices placed on them.
“At this juncture, it behooves on us and the entire APGA family as responsible, peace-loving and law abiding political party and citizens to;
“Request the authorities of the Nigerian Police Force, Ebonyi State Command to immediately commence investigations, arrest and prosecute those suspected to be behind this unlawful conduct. The police must leave no stone unturned in this regard, least they set a wrong example.
“Sound this as a last warning note to the government and its agents, particularly its multiple armed thugs masquerading as ‘Ebubeagu’ to desist from, I emphasise; avoid being used under any guise or platform to attack APGA campaign materials, members or supporters. For the consequences of any such further attack on the party- campaign materials or humans and the opposition in Ebonyi in general would not be “TOLERATED.
“The youths, whose future and destinies, including those of their children and wards have been terribly destroyed by the inhuman actions and policies of the present-day government should remember that “when the chips are down, their oppressive ’emperor’ would take the next available flight to the countries they have already stashed enough of our collective wealth and resources and abandon them to their fate to sort themselves out.
“And for the Umahi-led government which has continued to live in cowardice, thinking it can perpetually keep the opposition parties in suspended terror, in order to intimidate the electorate into abandoning their civic obligations, we wish to posit that the resoluteness of the APGA family and indeed, the entire Ebonyi electorate to not only canvass support for their genuinely preferred candidates, vote and defend same in next year’s general elections is even now, most unwavering.
“Their actions are rather emboldening Ebonyians from across all works of life to ensure that a government that would guarantee the rights to their freedoms as enshrined in our various laws emerge victorious at the polls next year. This is more audacious because there’s often a limit to which a people can endure pains!
“As they plan to instigate crisis and unleash terror on the electorate as that is all they allegedly boast of during their secret meetings, the government should remember first and foremost that the oath it swore to protect lives and properties of all Ebonyians according to the 1999 Constitution (as amended), have not and will not expire till the 29th day of May, 2023, when it shall handover to a newly elected government. More so, is the fact that they have no monopoly of violence! As I will always say: what lies ahead of us are far greater than what is behind us!” he stated.
