From Emmanuel Uzor, Awka
As the Anambra State governorship election draws closer, Governor Chukwuma Soludo has taken the battle for reelection to a different level by sealing the offices of the Edozie Njoku faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the Labour Party (LP), and the office of Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central district.
The offices located at the Udoka Housing Estate in Awka, the state capital, were sealed off by agents of the state government, accompanied by men dressed in military uniforms.
The reason given for the seal-off was that the estate is a residential not a business area.
However, it was gathered that during Soludo’s governorship campaign in 2010, his office was also located in the same Udoka Estate, raising questions about the government’s motives.
The LP has condemned the action, stating that it was carried out without notice, warning or any form of engagement with the party. Mr. C.J. Okoli Akirika described the action as “unfortunate, bizarre and brazen.”
Akirika said the party’s staff were chased away and the office sealed off in a “maniacal, frenzied, and frenetic commando-like operation” and has vowed to seek legal redress.
He accused the state government of attempting to truncate statutorily emplaced procedures and resorting to underhand, illegal, and obnoxious intimidation.
The seal-off has been seen as a move to suppress opposition parties in the state, amidst the ongoing controversy over the leadership of APGA and the recent recognition of Edozie Njoku as the party’s national chairman by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).