By SAMSON NWAFOR

The Ebonyi State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that the member representing Ishielu South State Constituency, Hon Lukas Arinze, on Tuesday night, led some thugs who attacked members of the PDP at Umuezeoka Ezza Ntezi in Ishielu LGA of the State, on the approval of Governor David Umahi.

In a statement titled “we thought that Governor David Umahi wanted peace, why is he attacking our members?”, the Party’s Publicity Secretary, Barr Silas Onu, alleged that the Lawmakers alongside his thugs beat up PDP members and damaged their properties during the attacks.

The Party had accused Umahi of masterminding attacks on its members across the state that had led to the deaths of some of them and loss of their properties.

According to the PDP, we have been silent in spite of all the recent provocations simply out of respect and courtesy to the Catholic ArchBishop of Abakaliki.

Recall that the Catholic ArchBishop of Abakaliki, Michael Nnachi Okoro, and the founding fathers of the State, recently waded into the feud between Umahi and the leaders of the PDP in the state.

The PDP, in the statement, further accused security agencies of compromise in the attacks against its members in the state.

They Party however, warned that it would not continued to tolerate such intimidations and attacks on its members, saying “enough is enough! If the Governor doesn’t want the respect that we have accorded him thus far, then we are ready to all defend ourselves in the face of this imminent danger caused by desperate political desires of one man.”

The statement reads in part, “Last night, we received a terrible report of the unwarranted attack on our members in Umuezeoka Ezza Ntezi, under the direct leadership of Hon. Arinze Lukas, the member Representing Ishielu South State Constituency in the House of Assembly.

“He led his thugs, clearly with the Governor’s approval, as he is a known loyalist of the Governor, to beat up our members and damaged their properties. This shameful incident took place at about 11 pm on 12 January, 2021.

“We have been silent inspite of all the recent provocations simply out of respect and courtesy to the Catholic ArchBishop of Abakaliki.

“When a Governor embarks on a self-defeating mission, thereby undermining the security of the entire State for his indeterminate ambition, it is sad for the same Governor to turn around and claim that other forces are undermining the security of the State – Governor David Umahi must be held responsible for the breakdown of law and order in Ebonyi State.

“If the Governor is not directly involved in the attack that took place last night, we would have seen the security agencies making some arrest by now, starting with the member of House of Assembly who led the attack. But, because the security agencies also kowtow to the Governor, nothing is expected to happen.

“We will continue to count this infractions and the failures of the security agencies to protect Ebonyians from their own government.”

But when contacted, Hon Lukas Arinze denied the allegation, saying the incident had nothing to do with him.

The Lawmaker further explained that available information to him, indicated that the issue had nothing do with politics, but a land dispute.

“It is not true. The issue does not concern me, and it has nothing to with politics. I was told the matter was as a result of a land dispute”, Lukas said. (Daily Independent)

Update news