Chimaroke Nnamani says no cause for alarm over postponement of Enugu East Senatorial district election

Enugu East Senator, Chimaroke Nnamani, has stated that there is no cause for alarm over the postponement of the Enugu East Senatorial District election following the gruesome murder of the Labour Party senatorial candidate, Oyibo Chukwu, and five others.

Chukwu, a former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, was killed and set ablaze at Amechi-Awkunanaw in Enugu South Local Government Area on Wednesday after gunmen opened fire on his convoy during an ambush.

His personal assistant also died in the incident.

Following the development, the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abuja on Friday announced that the Enugu East senatorial election which was scheduled to hold this Saturday will now be held on March 11 alongside the governorship polls.

Responding to the rescheduling, Nnamani in a statement said he welcomed the decision of the electoral umpire.

He said, “We welcome any opportunity for the Independent National Electoral Commission to postpone the Enugu East senatorial election.

“While we strongly condemn the senseless killing of the LP senatorial candidate and others by yet-to-be-identified gunmen, I deeply sympathise with all the bereaved, and urge the security operatives to fish out the perpetrators.”

Although the senator condemned the killing, he, however, said that the deceased stood no chance of winning contrary to some reports that he was the ‘favoured’ choice.

Nnamani added, “Any suggestion that the deceased was favoured to win the election is ridiculous, to say the least.

“It is only a party that thrives on deception and social media stunts that would claim it was about defeating a sitting senator and past two-term governor of the state.”

“Indeed, the postponement will allow for a fair contest and for peace to reign in the area,” he concluded.