The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that Governor Peter Obi of Anambra was responsible for the stampede at a religious vigil in Uke town that left more than 30 people dead. The party accused Mr. Obi of turning a house of prayer into an arena for partisan politics. In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the APC argued that if Mr. Obi and Willie Obiano, the candidate of the governor’s All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) had not gone to the praying ground to engage in wrongful politicking, the innocent souls who died at the vigil would be alive today. Mr. Mohammed said that, while there was nothing wrong in a state governor going to a vigil, such a visit should not be impromptu in order to enable the organizers to make the necessary security arrangements. He added, in addition, that the governor’s appearance should also not be a license to engage in a political campaign. The APC condemned Governor Obi’s plan to set up a panel to investigate the stampede, insisting that the governor was at the center of the tragedy. According to the APC, “Setting up a panel to investigate the cause of the stampede will amount to seeking to be a judge in your own case. The only cause of the stampede is the Governor’s ill-advised visit to the vigil. Information at our disposal has it that the stampede was triggered by the Governor’s overzealous security details who manhandled congregants as their principal was exiting the venue of the vigil. The security details were said to have been irked by the murmurs of disapproval that greeted the Governor’s attempt to campaign for his candidate, Mr. Obiano. “It is therefore disingenuous for the Governors spin doctors to be shifting the blame on the supporters of our candidate, Senator Chris Ngige. The simple truth is that there would have been no stampede if Gov. Obi had not come to the vigil or, even if he had come, had not attempted to politicize the gathering that was meant strictly for prayers.” The APC added that Mr. Obi should take a cue from the widespread disapproval of his desperate bid to impose a candidate on the state by ending all activities that can put the lives of Anambrarians at risk. “We recall that an angry protest also greeted the attempt by the APGA campaign train, with Obiano in tow, to shut markets in Onitsha last month. The protests effectively short-circuited the APGA campaign. Had the Governor and his entourage learnt their lessons from the Onitsha debacle, they would not have needlessly endangered the lives of the same people whose votes they are desperately but undeservedly seeking,” the APC declared. Mr. Mohammed stated that Mr. Obiano’s candidacy was not worth the blood and tears of the people of Anambra. But in a swift reaction, an associate of Mr. Obiano accused the APC of trying to politicize a tragic event. He claimed that the stampede and deaths occurred several hours after Governor Obi and Mr. Obiano had left the venue of the vigil. He added that the APC’s statement was borne of desperation.
Posted on: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 19:59:25 +0000
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