The rising pre-election violence across the country has taken another dimension in Anambra state as Senator Annie Okwonkwo candidate of the Accord Party for the Anambra central senatorial zone and his train was attacked by assailants at a campaign rally at the Eke Awak market Awka Anambra state.
The Senator who was a guest of the Anambra State Amalgamated Traders Association (AMATA) Eke Awka branch, arrived the venue of the prearranged reception exactly 9.55 a.m, fifty five minutes later than the scheduled 9.00am timeline.
On arrival, the Senator with his large entourage was enthusiastically received by the entire line chairmen and executives led by Chief Ifeanyi Obiekwe, Mr. Obiora Mbuko, Secretary General and Mr. Charles Ikebudu, the general chairman of the market taskforce.
They asked the Senator to go round and acknowledge cheers from the crowd which he obliged. However, immediately the Senator came to assume his seat and prayers were being offered, a violent mob of about fifty persons stormed the arena chanting APGA solidarity songs.
The incumbent Senator who is seeking re-election explained in a statement that they thought the mob activity was just an indulgence of misdirected excitement which according to them, "we gave some time to abate".
"The security details provided by the COP, Anambra State and the State Director of SSS, maturely intervened to request the mob to note that this was an Accord Party engagement and they should oblige them by taking their exit. The mob obviously acting out a script refused to be persuaded by reason or common sense, rather they chose to exacerbate the melodrama with a streak of lunacy.
"The obvious leader of this lunatic mob moved swiftly and unleashed his killer weapon; a scary double edged cutlass and sprinted menacingly toward the Senator who was sitting calmly waiting for the intruders to leave.
First, the security operative who gallantly tried to stop this daring assailant was met with a merciless cut on his shoulder as he headed straight for the Senator.
"A swing of the cutlass meant for the Senator's forehead was decisively deflected by the orderly�s gun. The impact and velocity of the assailant�s cutlass was such that the bridge of the gun caved in, and the life of the Senator was saved by this singular distinctive gallantry. The senator miraculously escaped with a cut on his left hand, and was quickly spirited away from the scene by a wall of body guards, policemen, SSS operatives, and a wall of the enraged traders army". The Senator's Media Adviser, Collins Steve Ugwu said.
The statement explained that the Senator moved straight to the office of the Commissioner of Police and the Director of State Security Services in the state to lay a report. He returned to his campaign office where he met truck loads of the traders on solidarity and sympathy visit who insisted that the Senator must return to address them.
After persistence, the Senator obliged them and addressed them at Ezindichie Town Hall, Awka with his wound and torn cloth still unattended and un mended.
"We therefore view this premeditated attempt on the life of the Senator as an act of coward desperation funded and procured by frightened interest group. We are studying this situation carefully and meticulously and as change agents moderated by integrity and circumspection, we restrain to name names yet, but we make haste to state categorically that Sen. Annie Okonkwo, in his inspired zeal to chart a window of redemption for Anambra people is neither shaken, nor unnerved". He said.
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