Obi condemns attack on NDC march in Asaba; APC denies involvement

One person was killed and five others injured when violence broke out during a political procession supporting Peter Obi in Asaba, Delta State, police said.

The Delta State Police Command said the incident happened at about 12.15pm on Saturday on Nnebisi Road during a march organised by the Obidient/OK Movement for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate. The command said it had received intelligence about a possible breach of peace, met organisers and advised them against an open-road procession, Punch reported.

Police said officers took the injured to hospital after a distress call and that investigations were under way to establish the circumstances of the clash and identify those responsible. The identities of the victims had not been established, it said.

Obi said he was saddened by reports of attacks on NDC members and Obidient Movement coordinators in Delta. He called on the state government and security agencies to investigate and prosecute those responsible. “Political violence has no place in a democracy and can never be justified,” he said.

Victor Ochei, the NDC’s Delta North senatorial candidate and a former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, accused the APC of mobilising the attackers and said more than 30 campaign buses were destroyed, Vanguard reported. He asked Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to order an investigation.

Valentine Onojeghuo, the Delta APC spokesman, told Vanguard there was no evidence linking APC members to the attack. “There is no proof by Ochei or any NDC claimant that APC persons were involved in any attack,” he said, adding that Oborevwori had committed the party to peaceful, issue-based campaigns.

Favour Emerue, Delta coordinator of the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, said organisers had told the police about the march and followed the police commissioner’s instruction not to gather at Inter-Bua Junction. He alleged that officers were absent when the attack began.

Sources: Punch; Vanguard; Vanguard (Obi statement)