Our Son Complained of Plans to Eliminate Him, Says Family of Slain Enugu LP Senatorial Candidate

Gideon  Arinze in Enugu

Family members of the murdered Labour Party Senatorial candidate for Enugu East Senatorial District, Oyibo Chukwu, have said that their son complained about plans to eliminate him by political opponents in the state. 

The family also said that Chukwu told some persons that he was going to write a petition to the security and intelligence agencies in Enugu State on the alleged plans so that the agencies could investigate the persons involved and nip their evil plans in the bud. 

Recall that Chukwu who was already gaining popularity ahead of the National Assembly elections- was killed and his body burnt by gunmen suspected to be political thugs on Wednesday while returning from a meeting with family members ahead of the senatorial election in the Amechi area of the state. His personal assistant, Sunday Igwesi, was with him in the same vehicle. 

In a Tweet on Thursday, presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi strongly condemned the killing of Oyibo.

He said, “I strongly condemn the killing of Barr. Chukwu in all its entirety. Human lives must remain precious, irrespective of political affiliation. The mindless bloodletting that occurs in the nation is beyond depressing. We must not continue to toe this dangerous path.”

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) had also given the Nigeria Police Force and the Enugu State Government 48 hours to fish out the sponsors and killers of the former chairman and the Labour Party Senatorial candidate for Enugu East Senatorial District, Chukwu.

Addressing journalists yesterday, Head, Department of Professional Ethics and Skills Nigerian Law School Yola campus and family member of the late LP senatorial candidate, Arthur Chukwu, said that the threat to Chukwu’s life spiked when he directed his lawyer, Chukwudi Igwe, to file a suit in the Federal High Court in Abuja challenging the legal status of the participation of a former Enugu State governor, Chimaraoke Nnamani, as the PDP candidate in the Enugu East Senatorial Zone since he has been expelled from his party. 

“Based on credible intelligence, our worthy son confided in a couple of persons that he was being trailed by members of the Ebeano political group,” he said. “Chukwu became the assassination target because of the stupendous popularity of the Labour Party in Enugu State in particular and the rest of the country in general, as well as his stellar credentials.”

Arthur noted that Chukwu was already coasting home to victory by the time the assassins stopped him, adding that it was not just Chukwu that was stopped, but the entire Enugu East senatorial zone whose people have for several years been yearning for effective representation in the senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He said that it was regrettable that two days after Chukwu and his PA were murdered in the most brutal way, the Enugu State Government has not deemed it important to condemn the killing nor has any of its officials visited the Chukwu family even here in Enugu City. 

“Yet, the state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi claims that his greatest legacy since his assumption of office almost eight years ago is an atmosphere of peace,” he said. “We are unable to see how the killing of a foremost lawyer and high-profile politician as well as his PA, which has attracted national and international headlines, is of no importance to the PDP government of Ugwuanyi.” 

Speaking further, he said “We are convinced that the founding fathers of Enugu State never imagined for once that politics in our dear state would someday be taken to a level where the lives of the citizens could no longer be considered sacred. Enugu people had presumed that the politics of violence ended 16 years ago. We rejoiced too early.” 

While assuring the people of the Enugu East Senatorial Zone and the rest of the state that Chukwu will not die in vain, he urged the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services to fish out those who planned the assassinations and those who carried them out, as well as their collaborators.