The
opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused the governing All
Progressives Congress of trying to assassinate the Deputy President of the
Senate, Ike Ekweremadu.
Mr.
Ekweremadu’s media aide, Uche Anichukwu, had on Tuesday alleged that suspected
assassins trailed his boss on his way to the office at about 10:00am between
Apo Flyover and Dantata Construction Company’s yard, close to the Old Central
Bank of Nigeria, CBN, junction.
The
suspected assassins, who Mr. Anichukwu said operated in a tinted white-coloured
Mercedez Benz AMG E63 without a plate number, “were reportedly chauffeured by a
long-bearded light skinned foreigner, apparently a mercenary”.
Reacting
to Mr. Anichukwu’s claims, the spokesperson for the PDP, Olisa Metuh told
reporters Wednesday the alleged attempt on Mr. Ekweremadu’s life was an
indication the era of political assassination had returned to Nigeria.
He
said the PDP had earlier alerted the nation about threats to the lives of key
and outspoken opposition leaders by the APC and its federal government.
“The
PDP does not mince words in holding the APC responsible for the Tuesday attempt
on the life of the Deputy Senate President,” he said.
Mr.
Metuh also said APC leaders had not hidden their bitterness and resentment
towards Mr. Ekweremadu, whose offence, he said “is the privilege of being
elected as Deputy Senate President, in line with the Standing Rules of the
Senate and provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
The
PDP spokesperson also recalled that the party had informed Nigerians that key
PDP leaders were being trailed and that the government should be held
responsible should any of them suddenly become victim of ‘terror attacks’,
unexplained accidents, kidnapped or suddenly killed by ‘armed robbers’.
Justifying
his argument that the APC was responsible for the attempt on the life of the
DSP, Mr. Metuh said it was shocking that “Senator Oluremi Tinubu, in
furtherance of their plan to take over the office of the Deputy Senate
President, went ahead at plenary today to occupy his seat and attempted to
assume the duties associated with that office”.
Mr.
Metuh said the PDP had information that beyond Mr. Ekweremadu, the APC had
plans to assassinate other notable PDP leaders including the Acting BOT Chairman,
Bello Haliru, Acting National Chairman, Uche Secondus National Secretary,
Adewale Oladipo and members of the National Working Committee, as well as
Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, House Minority leader, Leo Ogoh among
others.
He
said the PDP is aware that “some desperate power-mongers close to President
Muhammadu Buhari, particularly those privy to his interest to contest the 2019
presidential election, and who have been reading his body language against the
opposition, have gone ahead to establish a killer squad to wipe off strong
opposition, deeming such a service to the President
“This
killer squad, our intelligence further revealed, has key marksmen recruited
from within and outside the country with directives to trail, track down and
hit strategic opposition elements and instill fear among PDP members,” he said.
- Premium
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