Magnus Eze, Enugu
The Enugu State chapter of National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has flayed insinuations that some disgruntled people carried mock coffin of former Chairman of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Mr. Patrick Omeje, to the country home of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
State Chairman of NYCN, Comrade Henry Atigwe who dispelled the rumour in Enugu, described it as the handiwork of failed politicians that were not bold enough to participate in the amicable and rancour-free process adopted by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state in producing candidates for the party.
“I don’t know where that one is coming from; although we heard that some people staged a protest majorly on the social media. For us the youths of Enugu state, we are totally behind the governor and we thank him for seeing that over 95 per cent of the chairmanship candidates of PDP are youths.
We’re, therefore, calling on other political parties to also give their tickets to the youths. In fact, we applaud Governor Ugwuanyi for really involving youths in governance in Enugu State,” Atigwe stated.
Meanwhile, a deluge of reactions have continued to trail the purported protest against Omeje’s candidature.
An intimidating crowd of his supporters, yesterday, practically grounded activities in the University town.
They sang praises of the governor, and insisted that Omeje was the people’s choice and no amount of blackmail from any quarters would change their support for him.
Recall that a magistrate’s court sitting in Enugu North Local Government Area had on Monday, remanded eight persons in prison custody for allegedly carrying a mock coffin of Omeje round parts of Nsukka over alleged imposition of a chairmanship candidate in the forthcoming local government election.
The protesters were alleged to have attempted heading towards Udenu, the local government council.
They were arraigned on a two count charge bordering on felony, an act the prosecutor said was capable of causing and promoting native war and “thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 86 of the criminal code, cap 30 volume 11 of revised laws of Enugu State of Nigeria 2004.”