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For the third time in one month, the Delta State Peoples Democratic party (PDP) has made another strident cry against what it describes as the unleashing of “full blown terrorist intimidation machinery on PDP members in Delta Central.”

A statement by the PDP State Publicity Secretary, Dr. Ifeanyi Osuoza called attention to a dangerously acidic and falsely crafted APC petition, said to be authored by Umukoro, Bakwunye, Okompu & Co., Humanity Chambers, a firm of legal practitioners at No. 5, Nwaezeapu Street, off Nnebisi street, Asaba, Delta State, to the Commissioner of police, Delta state Police command, Asaba, and dated February 20, 2019.

Osuoza on the petition stated: “The petition is nothing short of a complete bundle of dangerous, brazen lies and falsehoods emanating from the very pit of APC propaganda hell, filled with trumped-up allegations, fabricated incidences, exaggerated hate-speech vitriol and accusations, and dark, sinister blackmail, contrived and leveled against carefully selected PDP members and leaders in the areas mentioned, with the devilish intent to deliberately demobilize, incapacitate and totally ground them from performing their civic responsibilities of casting their votes, as bona fide citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on election day.

“We wish to categorically state that we are in possession of a hit list of top PDP members already penciled down and targeted by the Delta APC for assassination and that all the names forwarded to the Delta State Commissioner of Police in this nefarious petition, including the name of Comrade Ngozi Akpomiemie Lawrence Ijeh, who was gruesomely gunned down and murdered in cold blood in Ekpan on February 15, 2019, are the same names on the APC assassination hit list.”

Pointing out that with the recent gruesome murder of Comrade Ngozi Akpomiemie Lawrence Ijeh in Ekpan by gunmen still very fresh in the minds of all, the Osuoza stated: “THE DELTA STATE PDP IS PLACING THE LIVES OF OUR MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES SQUARELY IN THE HANDS OF THE DELTA APC. WE ARE CALLING ON DELTANS, NIGERIANS AND THE WORLD TO BEAR US WITNESS THAT WE WILL HOLD THE DELTA STATE APC RESPONSIBLE IF ANY HARM, INJURY, OR FATALITY BEFALLS ANY OF OUR MEMBERS LISTED IN THE SAID PETITION, LEADERS OR LOYALISTS OF THE PDP HENCEFORTH.”

The Full text of the Delta PDP statement Reads:

21st February, 2019

PRESS RELEASE

DELTA APC UNLEASHES FULL BLOWN TERRORIST INTIMIDATION MACHINERY ON PDP MEMBERS IN DELTA CENTRAL

The attention of the Delta State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has been drawn to a dangerously acidic and falsely crafted APC PETITION, authored by
UMUKORO, BAKWUNYE, OKOMPU & CO., HUMANITY CHAMBERS
(LEGAL PRACTITIONERS) of No. 5 Nwaezeapu Street, Off Nnebisi Road, Asaba, Delta State, to The Commissioner of Police, Delta State Police Command, Asaba, Delta State, dated
20th February 2019.

The petition is nothing short of a complete bundle of dangerous, brazen lies and falsehoods emanating from the very pit of APC propaganda hell, filled with trumped-up allegations, fabricated incidences, exaggerated hate-speech vitriol and accusations, and dark, sinister blackmail, contrived and levelled against carefully selected PDP members and leaders in the areas mentioned, with the devilish intent to deliberately demobilize, incapacitate and totally ground them from performing their civic responsibilities of casting their votes, as bona fide citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on election day.

We wish to categorically state that we are in possession of a hit list of top PDP members already penciled down and targeted by the Delta APC for assassination and that all the names forwarded to the Delta State Commissioner of Police in this nefarious petition, including the name of Comrade Ngozi Akpomiemie Lawrence Ijeh, who was gruesomely gunned down and murdered in cold blood in Ekpan on February 15, 2019, are the same names on the APC assassination hit list.

We also wish to recall for the avoidance of doubt that we had raised an alarm in our widely circulated and published Press Release, dated February 18, 2019, of a plot by the Delta APC to set in motion a dangerous machinery to clamp down, intimidate, harass and incarcerate identified PDP leaders and members, particularly in the Delta Central Area, with the intention of preventing them from participating legitimately in the February and March general elections in the State.

Is it any wonder therefore, that following the cold-blooded assassination of Comrade Ngozi Akpomiemie Lawrence Ijeh, who was ambushed and hunted down by his assailants, who pumped and riddled his body with bullets, making sure he was dead before leaving him in a pool of his own blood, that the names now forwarded to the Delta State police command, are also on the same list and since the killing of Comrade Ngozi Akpomiemie Lawrence Ijeh had blown their cover, the APC has now resorted to writing this late hour petition with strong and almost commanding instructions for the police to “act promptly and swiftly?”

While we do not intend to interfere with the investigation of the law enforcement agents, either directly or otherwise, we want to state here, without any iota of doubt, that some of the incidents mentioned in the petition are well known and widely reported, but the allegations against the PDP members in the petition are merely trumped up, baseless, spurious and unsubstantiated complaints for which no one was either indicted or placed under any kind of observation after investigation had been concluded. The rest could merely be personal altercations between persons, for which again no cases were established and no indictments were made.

We call on the law enforcement agents, even during their investigation, to be very mindful of the fact that a good number of those listed by the APC in their dirty petition, are upright, responsible and recognized citizens of their separate communities and some are even public office holders in positions which have been used to bring prosperity and the dividends of democracy to their people, over time.

We have confidence in the capacity of our law enforcement agents to do the needful by regarding this petition as a complaint which should be investigated, but which should not in anyway, manner or form, infringe on the fundamental human and civic rights of those petitioned and in any way deny them their rights to freedom and participation in the forthcoming elections, which this petition is originally intended to achieve.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP is a responsible, law-abiding and people-oriented political party and we will advise and encourage the law enforcement agents to disregard the very inciting and provocative tone of the APC petition, as they are nothing but a spiteful, arrogant and deceitful ploy to lure the Nigerian Police into abdicating its solemn responsibility and ultimately acting ultras vires to the will and expectations of the people.

Let us further sound it loud and clear for the whole world to hear, that from all that has transpired in the last few weeks, especially the hostility, harassment, intimidation, unwarranted assaults and attacks on the lives and properties of our members, particularly in Delta Central, all which culminated in the gruesome assassination of Comrade Ngozi Akpomiemie Ijeh in Ekpan, THE DELTA STATE PDP IS PLACING THE LIVES OF OUR MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES SQUARELY IN THE HANDS OF THE DELTA APC. WE ARE CALLING ON DELTANS, NIGERIANS AND THE WORLD TO BEAR US WITNESS THAT WE WILL HOLD THE DELTA STATE APC RESPONSIBLE IF ANY HARM, INJURY, OR FATALITY BEFALLS ANY OF OUR MEMBERS LISTED IN THE SAID PETITION, LEADERS OR LOYALISTS OF THE PDP HENCEFORTH.
The killing of Comrade Ngozi Akpomiemie Lawrence Ijeh is one death too many and the dangerous signals it has sent across the political space, coupled with this recent petition written to the Delta State Police Command, is bound to heat up the polity dangerously and potentially jeopardise the electoral process, if not checked and brought under control swiftly and effectively, as soon as possible.

It is a terrible shame and disappointment that the Delta APC, instead of campaigning and selling its programmes and policies on how to serve Deltans better and deliver democracy dividends to the people, is scheming dubiously and in wild desperation, to take power through the back door and foist it’s unpopular, confused and directionless leadership and misgovernance on the people.

We urge all our leaders, members, loyalists and supporters to continue to be peaceful and law-abiding in the face of this reckless provocation and to go about performing their civic responsibility of voting and defending their votes with resolute vigilance and determination.

Long live PDP!
God Bless Delta State!!

Dr. Ifeanyi Michael Osuoza
State Publicity Secretary,
PDP, Delta State.