4th November, 2013
The Senator Chris Ngige Campaign Organisation has described as “unfortunate” Gov. Peter Obi’s reaction to the tragedy at the Holy Ghost Adoration Centre, Uke, in the eastern Nigerian state of Anambra.
No fewer than 27 worshippers were reported to have lost their lives in a stampede that occurred at the prayer ground in the early hours of Saturday.
The Director-General of the Ngige Campaign Organisation, Chief George Muoghalu, at a news conference on Monday in Akwa, refuted claims that Ngige, the APC governorship candidate, sabotaged the event.
He criticised the attempt by the state government to heap the blame on Ngige supporters, describing it as “another cheap and desperate effort to cover up the heinous crime”.
“The attention of the Ngige Campaign Organisation has been drawn to the press briefing by the Anambra State Gov., Mr Peter Obi, and the National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Vicotr Umeh.
“Both men blamed the APGA midnight Church campaign stampede at Uke that killed about 30 innocent people on Ngige supporters.
“Umeh further called for the arrest of Ngige.
“It is rather unfortunate that the state governor and APGA factional National Chairman chose to play politics with such a national tragedy in which they were both principal actors.
“We see this as part of the orchestrated desperate campaigns to drag the reputation of the candidate of the All Progressive Congress Sen. Chris Ngige in the mud,’’ he said.
Muoghalu said that the venue of the of incident was purely a house of prayers “where traumatised Anambra people go to reconcile themselves with God and seek succour from pains.
“But Gov. Obi and Umeh took their candidate in the state governorship election, Chief Willie Obiano, with their entire campaign in full campaign uniforms to the prayer ground to campaign.
“Gov. Obi in his statement, inadvertently admitted that the worshippers openly protested his attempt to turn the prayer meeting into a campaign rally. There is no doubt that it was the same protests by the congregation that eventually culminated in this avoidable deaths caused by the stampede,” he said.
He said that the statement credited to the government that the stampede was caused by the supporters of Ngige should be disregarded and seen as “a tissue of lies.”
Muoghalu said that the tragedy could have been avoided, if the APGA campaign train did not visit the Adoration Ground.
“The governor should not hold Sen. Ngige responsible for his growing unpopularity and how the people choose to react to him whenever he appears in the public. The Adoration Ground will not be the first place that Gov. Obi would be booed by the people of Anambra, neither will it be last.
“He was booed at Onitsha Main Market when he ordered the closure of the Main Market to campaign for Chief Obiano.
He was again booed at Awka Market and at many other places.
Muoghalu described the governor’s plans to institute an inquiry into the incident as an “exercise in deception”.
“If there must be an enquiry, credible human rights organisations should be allowed to do that.”
He said that Ngige had since condoled the metropolitan archbishop of Onitsha Catholic Archdiocese, the Most Rev. Valerian Okeke, and Adoration Ministries over the tragedy.
He said that Ngige had also paid a visit to the injured to wish them quick recovery and pledged to pick their medical bills.