A tense situation unfolded in Aba as masked men, suspected to be police officers, disrupted a meeting of the Labour Party (LP) on Saturday.
The incident occurred when over 20 masked individuals stormed the venue, demanding silence from attendees.
In a dramatic turn of events, five of the masked men approached the high table, confronting the secretary of the Labour Party’s local government election committee, Prince G.O. Ndubueze, and informed him of his arrest.
However, party members quickly rallied against the masked men, insisting they present a warrant for Ndubueze’s arrest.
In protest of the attempted arrest, more than 500 Labour Party members marched alongside Ndubueze to the Aba Area Police Command, demanding accountability from the authorities.
Speaking to Vanguard after the incident, Ndubueze expressed defiance against what he termed intimidation from Governor Alex Otti.
He accused the governor of trying to impose candidates for the chairmanship and councillorship positions in the upcoming local government elections scheduled for November 2.
Ndubueze said, “I didnt get any warrant of arrest from anywhere. I don’t even know whether they are policemen, but as law abiding citizen, I’m going with the police. But I will never bow to intimidation from Gov. Alex Otti. We won’t allow him to impose candidates in this local government election.
“This is a governor who came to power through a legitimate election, but wants to impose candidates. The Labour Party in Abia state won’t tolerate imposition.”