23 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
A candidate for the Nigerian Senate on behalf of the Labor Party was assassinated on Wednesday in the state of Enugu (south) when he was returning from a campaign event ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections that will be held this Saturday.
According to information collected by the Nigerian newspaper ‘Punch’, the candidate, Oyibo Chukwu, was assassinated as part of an attack perpetrated by armed men against his vehicle, an event that also resulted in the death of five of his followers.
The Labor Party candidate for Enugu governorship, Chijioke Edeoga, has confirmed the event and detailed that Chukwu was shot inside his car, which was later set on fire with all the victims inside.
“It is true that our candidate for the Senate for the eastern district of Enugu in the face of Saturday’s elections has been assassinated,” he said, before denouncing that “party members targeted for assassination by political parties who feel threatened for the growth of the Labor Party in the state”.
During the last weeks there have been several attacks against campaign events of the formation, incidents that have resulted in several injuries and material damage. At the moment there is no claim of responsibility for the murder of Chukwu.
The opposition Peter Obi, candidate of the Labor Party, appears as one of the main favorites for the presidential elections along with Bola Ahmed Tinubu, of the government All Progressives Congress (APC), and Atiku Abubakar, of the opposition People’s Democratic Party ( PDP).
