Posted by By GEOFFREY ANYANWU, Awka on
Deputy Governor of Anambra State and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate, Dame Virgy Etiaba, has alleged plans by people she did not name to kidnap her children.
Deputy Governor of Anambra State and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate, Dame Virgy Etiaba, has alleged plans by people she did not name to kidnap her children.
Consequently, she has petitioned the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State on the matter, just as she has resolved to go on with her campaigns.
Mr. Emeka Etiaba, the deputy govenror's second son, said the plot was to destabilize the APGA governorship candidate and possibly force her to pull out of the race.
He said: "There have been some threats to our personal liberty and it came as a security report. Of course, Her Excellency is the deputy governor of Anambra State apart from being the APGA gubernatorial candidate and she gets her own security report also. The report came to her and she had acted on it. She has written the Police headquarters in Awka, notifying them of this threat.
"We are not taking it lightly because we know that it is real. But we are not cowed. We are going on with the elections and nothing will stop us from going into this election and by the grace of God winning it because the masses of Anambra State want Dame Virgy Etiaba to be their governor. She has been tried and tested and nobody can stop it, except the person goes to the polls and wins convincingly without fraud," he said.
Mr. Etiaba said that though his mother did not suspect anybody, the plot must be politically motivated, as, according to him, nothing else at this time could have been the reason behind it.
"Whatever reason, one could be that once such a thing happens, Her Excellency would withdraw her candidacy. That is one likely scenario the authors of this kidnap may be thinking. Apart from that, I don't see any other motivation for such."
On the destruction of the billboards of the APGA governorship candidate in Onitsha by unknown persons, Mr. Etiaba said it was an indication of the popularity of his mother, who he described as the candidate to beat.
He said: "The destruction of our billboards and removal of our posters in some places only embolden us. It shows us that we are the candidate to beat. Her Excellency is the candidate to beat. We know what they are doing, but the important thing is that the race is on. We know it will not be swift and Her Excellency is on top of it."
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Fidelis Agbo, denied knowledge of the plot and the petition by the deputy governor, saying: "We have no such petition here."
Meanwhile, APGA in the state has debunked reports alleging a crack in its ranks as a result of the governorship ambition of Etiaba.
In a statement signed by the party's Anambra State Secretary, Mr. Williams Ejike Obiora, APGA said: "Our party in the state hastens to say that APGA remains one united family and is solidly behind Her Excellency Dame Virgy Etiaba's current effort to sustain the objective for which the party was founded."
"It should be noted also that Dame Etiaba never nursed the ambition to run for the governorship of the state but has been requested by the party to fill the gap arising from the fact that His Excellency, Mr. Peter Obi had been unfortunately stopped from joining the race. His Excellency, Mr. Peter Obi, has himself publicly stated that he supports Dame Etiaba.
"The decision to draft Dame Etiaba into the race was taken by the party at the highest level, which included Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, our national leader and presidential candidate; the National Chairman, Sir Victor Umeh and His Excellency, Mr. Peter Obi, among others."