Bye-election: Gov Uzodinma’s attempt to militarize our land, intimidate voters won’t be tolerated — NOYPF

 

…Chief of army staff, DSS DG, IGP should never yield to plot to destabilize Ngor Okpala

… Allegations of influx of fake law enforcement personnel into Ngor Okpala must immediately be investigated

Ngor Okpala Young Professionals Forum (NOYPF), has expressed worries over alleged plan by the executive governor of the state, Senator Hope Uzodinma to militarize Ngor Okpala over the forthcoming constituency bye-election slated to hold on the 26 of February 2022.

In a statement signed by the President of the forum, Dr James Chukwuma Nwoko which a copy was made available to NewsBand vowed that the people shall resist every attempt by the ruling party (APC) to disenfranchise eligible voters in Ngor Okpala.

The forum however urged the heads of security agencies in Nigeria never to yield to the plans of Senator Uzodinma to bring war to their territory under the guise of election.

The statement read, “We are deeply troubled by developments in our land in the past few days over the forthcoming state constituency bye-election scheduled to hold on Saturday, February 26, 2022. We note with dismay that our land is now about to be plunged into full-blown war.

“Supporters of opposition party have been rounded up, beaten up and political rallies disrupted by armed hoodlums. The mindless attack at Ntu on innocent men and women whose only offence was their support for the major opposition party in the state should be roundly condemned and the attackers and their sponsors immediately brought to book.

“What now worries everyone in our land, Ngor Okpala, and has now sparked off mass outrage is the plot by Senator Hope Uzodinma to invade our peaceful land on election day with armed men in order to intimidate our people and stop them from exercising their franchise. We have it on record that Senator Uzodinma did threaten during a stakeholders meeting of his party that he must take our constituency by force. We also learnt he has been flown to Abuja to perfect arrangements for the militarization of our land.

“What have we done to Senator Uzodinma deserve this level of hate? Are Ngor Okpala people now his captives of war or conquered serfs? Don’t we deserve some dignity and respect and be allowed to freely choose who to represent us? This election has revealed the perception of Senator Uzodinma and us. He has shown his disregard for our aspirations as a people and wants to violently impose his will on us. Our people will vehemently resist every effort by Senator Uzodinma wreak more havoc on our land.

“We therefore call on the heads of security agencies in Nigeria to never contemplate yielding to the requests by Senator Uzodinma to bring war to our territory under the guise of election. Our people are peace-loving and so we do not deserve this evil agenda of war and bloodshed. Through his penchant for war, Senator Uzodinma has made his own immediate constituency an uninhabitable ghost town. We don’t want Ngor Okpala to be like his home, because we have nowhere else to call home.

“It is further mind-boggling that in the past three days, there has been an influx of strange-looking able-bodied men into Ngor Okpala. They are being camped in various forests across our land in a coordinated manner.

“Our people have reasons to suspect that these invaders might be killers, thugs and militants who have been imported into our land to masquerade as law enforcement personnel on election day and unleash carnage on our people.

“There are also suspicions that they are members of Ebubeagu militia group who have been brought into our land to conduct a festival of terror. This is deeply disheartening.

“We are therefore crying out to the world to come our rescue. For the sake of our lives and property, Senator Uzodinma should be called to order. Ngor Okpala people do not deserve to perish, and our land must never be set ablaze simply because of election. No election is worth the blood of any of us.”

 

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