THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the attempted assassination of its Anambra State governorship candidate for the upcoming November 8 election, Jude Ezenwafor, in Abuja.
In a statement released on Sunday, July 20, and signed by its spokesperson Debo Ologunagba, the party called for the immediate arrest of those responsible for the attack and reaffirmed that the incident would not shake the party’s willpower.
News emerged on Saturday that Ezenwafor was attacked by unknown gunmen at the Wuse axis of Abuja.
The unidentified gunmen reportedly opened fire on him while he was returning from a meeting.
Speaking about the attack on Sunday, the PDP, through Ologunagba, said some desperate interests, intimidated by Ezenwafor’s rising popularity, are attempting to stop him from contesting the election.
The party said after a critical analysis of the violent incident, it believes that certain interests, ostensibly being uncomfortable with the growing popularity of the PDP candidate ahead of the November election, are desperate to prevent him from participating in the coming poll.
“Our party has also been made aware of other plots by some anti-democratic elements in Anambra State to commence a series of smear campaigns against our candidate following the failure of the assassination plot.
“This attack on the PDP candidate is another sad commentary on the alarming level of insecurity in the country under the overtly insensitive, corrupt, and abysmally rudderless All Progressives Congress administration,” the PDP stated.
The party urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to swiftly arrest the attackers and their sponsors. The party also called for strengthened security around its candidate ahead of the election.
The PDP said the attack will not deter their candidate or the people of Anambra State from electing a PDP administration.
The party expressed confidence in Ezenwafor’s destiny to win the election, citing his divine destiny and the people’s support.
The Anambra governorship election will be held on Saturday, November 8.
The ICIR had reported that Ezenwafor of the PDP will be slugging it out with incumbent governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and a former member of the House of Representatives, Nicholas Ukachukwu, who clinched the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket.
Also in the picture is a former managing director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), George Muoghalu, who won the Labour Party’s governorship ticket.
A reporter with the ICIR
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