The proposed rally for the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi on Saturday in Ebonyi was disrupted as the organizers of the rally were tear-gassed by the police in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, in South-East Nigeria.
Members and their supporters had gathered along Mile 50 to embark on a rally to canvass support for their candidate but policemen arrived the scene and started shooting teargas dispersing the crowd.
It was gathered that some of the people were arrested by the police and some persons injured.
Ebonyi, a state controlled by ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), is administered by Governor Dave Umahi who won under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but defected to APC in November 2020.
One of Obi’s supporters, Steve Ugama said, “This is inhuman and undemocratic. We have gathered here this morning for our peaceful March, all of a sudden, the police came and started tear-gassing us and arresting our people.
“They said we can’t hold the march, because Governor David Umahi asked them to stop us, that we can’t hold it. About four or our colleague have been arrested. We need help here.”
In a similar development, a solidarity rally was staged by the supporters of Obi and his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, on Saturday.
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.