The Governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Ebonyi State for the 2023 general election, Prof. Benard Odoh, has accused members of the Ebubeagu Security outfit of shooting his convoy, which included his campaign team.
Odoh urged his supporters not to lose faith or be cowed by the ugly incident.
He made stated these during a briefing with newsmen in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.
According to him, no amount of intimidation would make him not pursue his ambition of becoming the next governor of the state in 2023.
But in a quick reaction, the Commander of Ebubeagu Security outfit, Nnana , denied the allegation that Ebubeagu operatives shot at the convoy of the APGA Governorship candidate.
Speaking with Vanguard on telephone, he said, “Ebubeagu Security outfit is doing very well in Ebonyi State and some politicians want to kill the dog by giving it a bad name. There’s no report of such in the state. The commander of Ebubeagu in Izzi met with me this morning and never mentioned anything like that.
Narrating his ordeal, Odoh explained that one of the vehicles in his convoy with registration number ABJ – 580GH was allegedly shot at leading to damage to the vehicle’s back windscreen.
“I had to go to Izzi and defied all their orders and threats and went to Izzi. We were confronted by the Ebubeagu team. They shot at one of our cars. Look at it, the glass shattered. We went with the official security men of the police and DSS and our full campaign team.
“We are not cowards. We are not fools. You cannot force anybody on us. Ebonyi people have the right to choose who becomes their leader. This is not how to run a democracy. We have the right to reach out to our people.”
Reacting to the development, the Chairman of Izzi LGA, Barr. Emenike described the statement of Odoh as blackmail and accused him (Odoh) of telling lies to cover up their misdeeds.
“How can Ebubeagu unleash mayhem on the motorcade of the APGA Guber candidate? This is a cheap lie. Who was injured from the gunshot that was aimed at the supposed windscreen? The truth is that someone from his convoy was the person that shot at the vehicle carrying the Coordinator of Izzi LGA. His name is Chukwudi Obia Pascal. He is presently receiving treatment at FETHA 2”.