The Presidential campaign Council (PCC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State has demanded a probe into the attack on supporters of Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the party.
The supporters were allegedly attacked in Omuma Local Government Area on Sunday while pasting Atiku’s posters.
Leloonu Nwibubasa, spokesman of the PCC in Rivers State, while condemning the attack, called on the police to immediately commence an investigation to arrest those behind the incident.
Nwibubasa in a statement said: “The life of Udochukwu Nwakwala is presently at stake, and we are worried if he will survive the gunshots and machete cuts that were rained on him for simply pasting Atiku’s posters in Omuma.
“I want to call on the Governor of Rivers State (Nyesom Wike) to call his members of the party that are loyal to him and carrying out orders inimical to humanity to order.
“This is a test case for the new Commissioner of Police in the state. He must investigate, arrest and prosecute whoever is responsible for this dastardly act”.
It was gathered that one person was shot when suspected political thugs attacked Atiku’s supporters at Eberi, in Omuma LGA of Rivers State.
Nnamdi Nwogu, the coordinator of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council in Omuma LGA, was one of those attacked.
Nwogu said that over 30 youths brandishing machetes and guns swooped on him, his aide and three others while they were pasting posters of their principal at the Eberi-Omuma junction in Omuma on Sunday.
He added that the alleged attack was ordered by political leaders in the area, saying one of Atiku’s supporters, who happened to be his aide, Udochukwu Nwakpala, was macheted and shot at.
“Three days ago, I gave my boys posters of Atiku to paste in my local government, and yesterday (Sunday), I now called one of my boys, Udochukwu and a friend of mine to join me to see if the posters were pasted the way I had directed.
“When we got to the place, I saw the posters in some areas. But I noticed the posters were not at the strategic place called Eberi-Omuma. I said okay, since I am around, let me ensure it was done. I said come and paste these posters here.
“While I was there inspecting them, I noticed one of the councillors in Ward 1, popularly called Mayor Councillor. He saw what they were doing.
“He (Councillor) went back and made a telephone call. The next thing, we saw over 30 boys armed with machetes and guns. These boys looked at me; they started attacking us. They used machetes on my boy, Udochukwu, and harassed me and my friend with machetes.
“It is only God that knows how he rescued me and this boy from them. Maybe we would have been killed just for pasting posters. We have not even started campaigns yet,” Nwogu said.
