*Party’s governorship candidate, Edeoga says the killings were politically motivated

The violence in the South-East zone continued even 48 hours to the 2023 general elections, sending shock waves and throwing the citizens into mourning.

Mr Oyibo Chukwu, candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Saturday’s Enugu-East Senatorial zone election, was killed 48 hours to the election.

Chukwu was killed at Amechi, Awkunanaw Local Government Area of Enugu State, while returning from a campaign rally.

He was murdered alongside five of his supporters.

The killers were also said to have burnt him and his supporters who were with him inside his car.

They were fingered to be members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) who have been inflicting mayhem on he zone, king people at random and insisting that elections must not hold in the zone.

The governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Barr. Chijioke Edeoga, confirmed the unfortunate incident, saying his party members are being targeted for assassination by political opponents which felt threatened by the phenomenal acceptance of the LP in the state.

Peter Obi, the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, hails from South-East, which has been a flashpoint, even before the election period.

Suspected militants have vowed to cripple election in the region but security forces have assured residents that they are on top of the situation.

The Enugu police command is yet to react to the incident, which Edeoga insists was politically motivated, but which many believe was perpetrated by the IPOB militant wing, the ESN.