There is apprehension in Umuobuo village in the Omuma Local Government Area of Rivers State as political thugs allegedly working for the state governor, Mr Nyesom Wike have shot and stabbed a young man identified as Mr Nwankwoala Udo for pasting posters of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar in the community.
Since Governor Wike lost the presidential ticket of the party to the former Vice President, Atiku, the party has been factionalised.
This followed allegations made by Wike that the National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Iyorchia Ayu manipulated the process to favour Atiku, a fellow northerner.
He subsequently asked Ayu to resign from office but the national chairman has refused to do so amid the attendant crisis in the party ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Last week, the Wike-led Rivers government revoked the ownership of a landed property belonging to former Rivers South East Senator, Lee Maeba in Port Harcourt.
A few days earlier, Wike took a jibe at former Minister of Transport, Dr Abiye Sekibo, for accepting to be the Director General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council in the state.
He had said that Sekibo is not fit to speak on behalf of the state.
However, a video of the recent attack seen by SaharaReporters on Monday shows a young man in white clothes, identified as Nwankwoala Udo lying on a hospital bed. His clothes had bloodstains.
A young man could be heard shouting, “Can you imagine, just because of politics, just because of poster, you want to kill this boy? You shot somebody with and machete just because of poster. So heartless, you use criminals, cultists to intimidate people, want to kill this boy because of pasting posters.
“People are so heartless; if they kill this boy, what will they gain? Because of Atiku’s campaign poster, that is why they want to kill the boy.
“If you know that you have your own candidate, campaign for the person openly, not this hide and seek game (believed to be referring to Governor Wike). Because of your selfish interest, you want to kill everybody. This nonsense has to stop; it will not end here. This nonsense in Omuma has to stop, how can one person hold everybody in a local government at ransom, buying guns and giving to people to go and kill political opponents because you want to remain in power?”
“It has to stop, if you kill everybody, will only you remain in that local government? People gave you a mandate to go and represent them. Instead of representing them, you are using the same government to fight them, using their money to fight them. This nonsense has to stop. Every day, people cannot come out to campaign. All these things will end one day. Everything that has beginning has end,” the voice lamented.
However, a source told Sahara Reporters that three more people were also macheted by the hoodlums allegedly loyal to Wike.
The source said, “Wike’s attack dogs shot an Atiku Abubakar’s supporter, Mr Nwankwoala Udo, from Umuobuo village in Omuma LGA of Rivers State, who was pasting the posters of the PDP Presidential flag-bearer.”
Another source said, “Supporters of Atiku Abubakar, PDP presidential candidate in Rives State allege they were attacked while pasting Atiku campaign posters in Omuma LGA, Rivers State.
“Three of the supporters received machete cuts and are being admitted to the hospital.”
SaharaReporters earlier reported that Sekibo; former governor of the state, Sir Celestine Omehia (now derecognized); former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Austin Opara; and the former senator who represented the Rivers South-East district, Senator Lee Maeba, had fallen out with Wike after they pitched their tent with Atiku for the 2023 presidential poll.
Governor Wike described Sekibo as a self-seeking politician who was unable to bring any kind of democratic dividend to the state, including his home town of Okrika during his tenure as minister.
(OBSERVERSTIMES)
