Imo guber election: LP candidate, Athan Achonu escapes death

Just days before the November 11th governorship elections in Imo State, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Senator Athan Achonu, was allegedly attacked in the state.

Achonu’s convoy came under attack on its way to St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Obibiezena, Owerri North Local Government Area, where he was invited to attend the church’s synod.

Reports indicate that his convoy ran into an ambush set up by a group of thugs, who had established a roadblock with an Armored Personnel Carrier (APC), an All Progressive Congress-branded Sienna, and a Hilux truck.

In a statement signed by Chibuikem Diala, the Director of Media and Publicity for the Senator Athan Achonu Campaign Organization, made available to DAILYPOST in Owerri, Achonu revealed that a tragedy was narrowly averted as his convoy narrowly escaped a potentially fatal attack.

The statement explained, “One Oladimeji, a police officer attached to the Tiger Base Police Squad, Owerri, led the team of rough-looking policemen and gun-wielding Ebubeagu security operatives.

“On approaching the roadblock, police officers in the Armored Personnel Carrier started shooting at the convoy but missed the Wrangler SUV by a hair’s breadth and hit the driver’s window of one of the bulletproof Lexus SUVs in the convoy. This could have resulted in casualties if not for the fact that it was bulletproof.

“They were shooting sporadically in full public view in broad daylight. Even after the Police Commissioner spoke to the police officer Oladimeji over the phone, he refused to listen to him, insisting that because Uzodinma was coming that way, he would not allow Achonu to pass.

“A young man identified as ‘TAKPE,’ backed by the police, was also shouting and threatening that the team must turn back, or else he would ‘destroy all the cars.’ This scenario caused panic among the women in the convoy.

“To avoid further confrontation, the DSS and other security officers accompanying Senator Achonu exercised restraint and moved the candidate and his team to safety.

“It is even more concerning that the state police have aligned themselves with Uzodinma to the extent that even the state Commissioner of Police no longer has the power to control security matters in the state.

“We demand an urgent probe into the activities of the involved culprits, including Officer Ola, and the state Commissioner of Police. We also demand that the chief thug ‘Takpe,’ shown in the viral video, be arrested and brought to justice.

“We also demand the immediate transfer of all compromised officers to prevent any further crises. We also want to make it abundantly clear that the Labour Party and its candidate, Senator Athan Achonu, alongside all lovers of democracy in Imo State, cannot be intimidated.

“We call on President Bola Tinubu, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the Chief of Army Staff, the Head of the Department of State Services, DSS, and relevant security agencies to intervene in the security situation in Imo State to prevent bloodshed during and after Saturday’s election.”