Embattled Governor Ikpeazu Okezie of Abia and the State’s chapter of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP on Sunday raised alarm about what they described as a plot by desperate politicians to kidnap the state’s judicial officers.
The Governor has been involved in power tussle with a member of his party, Uche Ogah who was on Thursday issued with certificate of return by Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC following a court judgment which nullified his election on Monday.
Ogah has not been able to assume office because the Chief Judge of the State who was supposed to swear him in has gone underground since last Thursday.
Okezie’s appeal against the judgment which nullified his election is due to be heard at Abuja division of Court of Appeal on Monday.
But ahead of the hearing of the suit, Abia State Government on Sunday said it had uncovered plots by desperate politicians to kidnap judicial officers in the state.
In a terse statement, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Enyinnaya Appolos warns the perpetrators of the plot to desist from it in their own interest.
He said, “We call on security agencies in the state to increase surveillance and protection services around all the judicial officers in the state. We wish to warn those involved in this plot to desist from their nefarious activities as the government will not hesitate to apply the full weight of the law against them.
“We also call on Abians to be vigilant and report any suspicious movement around them to the security,” said Appolos.
Also, the State Publicity Secretary of PDP, Sir Don Ubani, in a statement said the party has also uncovered a similar plot to abduct the State’s judicial officers by “a popular politician in Abia State to grasp power through the back door by kidnapping Judicial officers and its members.”
The State Publicity Secretary of PDP, Sir Don Ubani, advised the unnamed politician to “retrace his nefarious steps” as he would regret the consequences of his action.
He said, “The PDP in Abia State has frowned at the reports making round the State that a certain desperate politician in the State, whose illegal efforts to cease power from the back door has been frustrated by decent application of the rule of law, is now directing his evil machination towards kidnapping Judicial officers in the State with the hope of intimidating them in order to have access to power he did not canvass for.
“We have also taken cognizance of the inordinately- ambitious politician’s plot to kidnap some top functionaries of our in the State. Intelligence reports available to us have revealed that the political desperado is embittered that the State Executive of the Party did not come out to support his acts of illegality.
“The PDP is therefore cautioning him that is involved in this sacrilegious and bloody shenanigan to quickly retrace his nefarious steps as the likely consequences of his devious desires and mischievous plots would compound his imagination and would only leave him with regrets that may not be redressed or even corrected in his life’s time. We wish to remind him that he that throws stones into a crowded market should not forget that his loved ones could end up being the victims of his action.”