Peter Obi speaks on killing of Labour Party house of assembly candidate

The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the killing of Christopher Elehu, the House of Assembly candidate for Onuimo Local Government Area Constituency in Imo State, South-east Nigeria.

The victim was killed when gunmen invaded his house on Friday.

Mr Obi, in a post via his verified Twitter handle, on Friday, said he was “deeply disturbed” by the killing of Mr Elehu.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the gunmen, suspected to be assassins, set the victim’s house ablaze and destroyed his properties, including a motorcycle.

“I condemn these heinous acts in the strongest possible terms. Such acts violate our spirit of security, civility and the recently signed peace accord,” he said.

“Federal and state security agencies must work assiduously to uncover those behind this killing,” Mr Obi added.

Meanwhile, the police have confirmed the killing of the politician.

The police spokesperson in the state, Michael Abattam, told PREMIUM TIMES that the police had begun an investigation to track down the attackers.

Some LP members have been targets of gunmen attacks in the South-east in recent times, mainly during the party’s political rallies in the region.

But the killing of a candidate of the party is a novelty.

There are suspicions among the LP members that the attacks might have been sponsored by some members of opposition political parties in the South-east said to be disturbed by the growing popularity of the LP in the region.

The growing popularity of the LP in the South-east has been ascribed to Mr Obi’s defection to the party and consequent emergence as its 2023 presidential candidate.

Mr Obi hails from Agulu, an Igbo-speaking community in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, south-east Nigeria.