A group of masked individuals, reportedly police officers, barged into a Labour Party meeting in Aba, yelling at the attendees to keep silent. Five of the masked individuals approached the high table, telling Prince G.O. Ndubueze, the secretary of the party’s local government election committee, that he was being arrested. The attendees refused to have Ndubueze taken away because the masked individuals had not produced an arrest warrant.
In protest of the police’s activities, more than five hundred party members marched to the Aba Area police headquarters behind Ndubueze.
In a quick interview with Vanguard, Ndubueze declared he would not bow to pressure from Governor Alex Otti, who he alleged was trying to force candidates for councillorships and the chairmanship in the local government election that is set for November 2.
“I received no arrest warrant from anywhere. As a law-abiding person, I’m going with the cops even though I’m not even sure whether they are police. But Gov. Alex Otti can never intimidate me again. He will not be able to force candidates on us in this election for local government.
This governor seeks to impose candidates, despite having won a lawful election to take office. In the state of Abia, the Labour Party will not put up with imposition. We will stand firm against any attempts to undermine the democratic process and will ensure that the people’s choice prevails in the upcoming election. Our commitment to upholding the principles of democracy and fairness remains unwavering despite any intimidation tactics.
