Igbo youths under the auspices of the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, have expressed rage over the assassination attempt on the Spokesman of the Conference of United Political Parties, CUPP, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, describing it as barbaric.
They demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of the masterminds.
No fewer than three persons were killed Saturday evening when armed men invaded the Akokwa country home of Ugochinyere who is the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, House of Representatives candidate for Ideato federal constituency.
His house and many vehicles parked in the compound were razed by the yet-to-be-identified gunmen.
COSEYL, in a statement by its President General, Goodluck Ibem, strongly condemned the barbaric attack, and urged the Inspector General of Police, IGP, to thoroughly investigate the incident and ensure anyone involved is brought to book
According to COSEYL, Ugochinyere’s attackers could not gain access to him due to stiff resistance by the security forces attached to him, however, they ended up killing his Uncle, two persons and burnt down properties in his compound.”
The incident was the second time an assassination attempt was made on his life.
“We condemn in strongest terms the assassination of these three persons who did nothing wrong to be sent to their early graves. When did participating in the campaign and electoral process become a crime in Nigeria?
“It is surprising that in a democracy that guarantees freedom of speech and expression, CUPP Spokesperson and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate for Ideato North and Ideato South Federal Constituency would be marked for assassination because he sometime exposed the electoral manipulation and rigging strategy of the ruling party APC.
“Ugochinyere in a World Press Conference had exposed the electoral fraud perpetuated by the APC during the Continuous Voters Card Registration exercise for the 2023 general elections were he showed proofs of APC registering dead persons and foreigners as those that will vote in the 2023 elections.”
COSEYL threatened Armageddon should any harm befall the CUPP Spokesperson.
“We warn those killers and their sponsors who came to assassinate Ugochinyere who has always stood firm to defend our hard-earned democracy to have a rethink because if any harm should befall him there will be a corresponding response from the Nigerian youths.
“The youths have woken from their slumber to take back their country and we will not be stopped by any antics of anti-democratic forces who have held our nation down.
“We call on the CUPP Spokesperson to stand firm for our democracy and should not be discouraged because the youths are solidly behind him and his vision to defend our hard-earned democracy which our founding fathers fought so hard to achieve.
“We call on the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Baba, the DSS and other security agencies to immediately move into action to arrest and prosecutes those assassins who came to assassinate the peoples voice Barr Ikenga Ugochinyere and ended up killing three innocent persons who did nothing wrong to deserve such barbaric death. “
