The electioneering activities in Imo State have started assuming a dangerous dimension and if adequate care is not taken to check the excesses of political parties, there may be bloodshed.
The first of such ugly incidents occurred when a group of women in Imo State, under the umbrella of Widows Association of Nigeria, Imo State wing, were attacked by thugs believed to have come from the camp of a renowned political party in the country, during a peaceful demonstration in Owerri to register their grievances over perceived injustices to them by the state government. Some of the women, including a Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) staff in Owerri, Eric Etuk, got wounded and have since been hospitalised.
As the attack on the women was gradually dying down, the Owerri Capital Development Authority (OCDA), a parastatal under the state government, was alleged to have destroyed some billboards belonging to All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate and one-time minister of interior, Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho.
The destruction of billboards and posters of the APGA candidate, it was learnt, angered the candidate who mobilised his supporters to revenge by laying hands on the posters and billboards of the governor, Rochas Okorocha.
Recently, the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, held a political debate for all the governorship candidates of political parties in the state at Egbu. It was during the period that the governor, Okorocha, went overseas on a short holiday and so could not attend the political debate.
However, a week after the arrival of the governor, the Justice Development and Peace Committee (JDPC), under the umbrella of Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri, fixed another date of the political debate for the governorship candidates for Wednesday, March 1, 2015 at the usual arena, the Obiri Odenigbo (Odenigbo Pavilion).
Maka Ndigbo learnt that after all necessary arrangements had been made, women, men, youths and the organisers started trooping into the arena by 7.00am. At about 8.00am, more than 10,000 people had arrived the venue while more people were still arriving to witness the occasion.
However, Maka Ndigbo learnt that trouble started when hundreds of women wearing Christian mothers’ uniforms of Orlu Catholic Diocese besieged the arena chanting solidarity songs in favour of one of the candidates.
It was gathered that the women, who also carried placards in support of one of the candidates, were accosted by another group of women said to be wearing black and known as Imo widows.
The widows, Maka Ndigbo learnt, might have been infuriated by the actions of the uniformed women, and thus dragged seats from the Catholic women and in the process, physical attacks ensued, leading to a tensed atmosphere in the arena.
While the drama lasted, the organisers took to their heels while Reverend Fathers and other non politicians equally escaped from the arena.
Later in the day, the governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, who appeared on Heartland FM, Owerri, told his audience that it was the APC members that launched the attack on supporters of other political parties.
Equally the same day, the Director General of Rochas Okorocha’s Campaign Organisation, Barrister Ihukwumere Alaribe, addressed select media men, exonerating All Progressives Congress (APC) from the trouble.
However, he commended the organisers of the event for coming up with the programme, adding that APC would attend the event whenever the organisers re-scheduled it.
It will be recalled that such a similar event was organised by the JDPC in 2011 when Ikedi Ohakim was the governor of the state.
Then, Chief Ohakim threatened to walk away if the organisers of the forum failed to call their supporters to order. The event of that year, however, went smoothly without any trouble.
Meanwhile, Imo State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists said it would still organise its own political debate for all the governorship candidates, irrespective of what happened at Catholic Church, Owerri.
According to the NUJ chairman, Chief Innocent Igwe, each of the governorship candidates would come to the arena with only ten delegates.
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