Abia PDP Condemns Election Violence 

The members of the People’s Democratic Party in Abia State have put out a disclaimer following a controversial video, saying that the party is a party of peace, not one that condones violence

In a statement by Hon. Elder Abraham Amah, the Abia PDP Vice Chairman, the party responded to a viral video of a man who, wearing the campaign T-shirt of the PDP gubernatorial candidate for Abia State, Sir Okey Ahiwe, was calling the citizens of Abia and supporters of PDP to resort to violence in the upcoming gubernatorial elections. Amah affirmed that the party was strongly against such, saying, “We state in very clear terms that individuals involved were acting on their own accord and not on the authority of the Party or our guber candidate, Sir Okey Ahiwe.”

The Vice chairman professed that Abia is a state of peace and has always been seen as such, however, he said that the opposing parties have been trying to provoke the people of Abia State to resort to violence.

“We are proud that the peace in Abia State has been sustained overtime to the point that the United States Information Service, USIS, has never included Abia State against its Travel Advisory to its citizens. It is therefore unimaginable that the Party will resort to violence to achieve victory in an election it knows clearly that it will win in a free and fair conduct. 

Unfortunately, it is the drowning opposition, especially the Labour Party and her candidates who know that failure stares them in the face, that are in the habit of inciting the masses to take to violence because it is clear to it that the Obidient wave that granted it a flash-in-the-pan victory in the Presidential and National Assembly election has eminently disappeared and the electorate clearly understand that Peter Obi is not contesting a governorship election.” 

The party representative then claimed that the Labour Party gubernatorial candidate had “employed proxies who are raising tension in the State by publishing materials that are capable of disturbing the peace in the State”, saying that there may be a possibility of the “PDP Supporter” in the viral video to be one of these proxies. He also referred to a publication made by a person who is called the Great Imo Jonathan, who words he described as “nothing but an outright declaration of war against the government and the good people of Abia State.”

Regardless, Honorable Amah assured the citizens of Abia State that Okey Ahiwe was a man of peace, and the government of Abia State had security measures in place to ensure that acts of violence do not occur during the election which will take place on Saturday, the 18th of March.

“The PDP and the government it serves will not allow political desperadoes who are ready to spill the blood of citizens to get to office and we call on those involved in such dastardly acts to desist from stoking tension in the State because it will certainly consume them. 

We make it clear to the opposition Parties that our guber candidate, Sir Okey Ahiwe will not be distracted in his mission to give the good people of Abia the best they deserve. Those who are planning such should better perish the thought because it will not work. 

Again, while we condemn the said video, we are happy to inform the good citizens of Abia that the security agencies are in full swing to identify those behind the unruly act, their sponsors and bring them to justice.”

To end his statement, Amah encouraged the citizens of Abia to maintain the peace of the State, and to come out in their numbers to vote in the coming gubernatorial elections.

Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi

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