BY ONYEKACHUKWU IBEZIM – Less than 72 hours before the Presidential and National Assembly elections slated for Saturday, February 25, unknown gunmen have killed the Labour Party (LP) candidate for Enugu East Senatorial District, Mr Oyibo Chukwu.
Killed alongside Oyibo, a legal practitioner, are five party supporters as they were reportedly returning from a campaign trip in the Agbani area.
According to the reports, Oyibo and others with him inside his vehicle were burnt by the gunmen suspected to be agents of political opponents.
Though information about the attack was still trickling in, a top member of the Labour Party confirmed that the incident happened at Amechi Awkunanaw, Enugu South Local Government Area on Wednesday evening.
Also confirming the unfortunate incident, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Chijioke Edeoga, said that the gunmen shot Oyibo inside his vehicle with five other people with him before setting them ablaze.
“It is true that our senatorial candidate for Enugu East senatorial district for Saturday’s election has been killed. They (gunmen) shot him and five others and set them ablaze.
“Our party members are being targeted for assassination by political parties that felt threatened by the rise of the Labour Party in the state and are afraid they may lose Saturday’s election.”
Earlier reports have emerged that the Labour Party’s campaigns and political activities had been attacked on several occasions in the State with several members and supporters of the party injured while property worth millions already destroyed by gunmen allegedly working for the ruling party in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
However, efforts made to contact the Enugu State Police Command’s spokesman, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, for the Police reaction to the unfortunate incident proved unsuccessful as he could not be reached at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, available reports indicate that the APC governorship candidate in the state, Uche Nnaji was similarly attacked at the same spot where the Labour candidate was killed.
