…Urges citizens not to be used

The Enugu State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, says it has uncovered sinister plots by the leaderships of the Enugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Labour Party, LP, to hide under the cover of the proposed nationwide action to sponsor instability in the state.

The party in a statement by its state Chairman, Hon. Augustine Nnamani, on Wednesday, said the Federal Government and security agencies should hold the leaderships of the two parties in the state responsible for any breach of peace “in the name of protest” in the state.

The statement says, “The PDP is in possession of an impeccable intelligence revealing a sinister plot by the leaderships of the Labour Party in Enugu State, and their newfound allies in the Enugu Labour Party to cause instability in the state under the cover of the nationwide protests.

“The intelligence shows that these opposition leaders have been seriously worried about the soaring popularity of the Governor Peter Mbah Administration occasioned by his evident development and infrastructural strides in the last 14 months. They see the nationwide protest as an opportunity to set the state back and get back at the governor for the 2023 losses.

"Besides creating instability, their plot is also to create the impression that Governor Mbah is sponsoring protests against the President Bola Tinubu Administration.

“Consequently, the FG and security agencies are called upon to hold the leaderships of Enugu APC and LP fully responsible for any breach of peace in the state in the name of protest. More so when critical stakeholders in the state, including the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Worldwide, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council, Presidents-General of town unions, business owners, among a host of others, have washed their hands off the proposed protest and sued for dialogue instead, given the destruction and chaos experienced by the state during the EndSARS protests.”

The PDP in Enugu State urged citizens of the state to go about their legitimate businesses and “not allow themselves to be used by political losers, who are hellbent on fomenting strife in the state in the name of protest, refusing to come to terms with the fact that the 2023 election has been lost and won and that just as in the last governorship election, the people of Enugu State will vote capacity, pedigree, track record, and character in 2027, not empty propaganda and bitter rhetoric.”

Recall that the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, CP Anayo Uzuegbu, had, while meeting with a cross section of major stakeholders on Tuesday, raised the alarm over plots by some unnamed persons to hijack the protest to cause chaos and destruction of public and private property in the state.