Don’t Start What You Can’t Finish – Jim Nwobodo Replies Okey Ezea

Former governor of the old Anambra state, Jim Nwobodo has cautioned the Senator-Elect for Enugu North Senatorial District, Okey Ezea over his Inciting comments on the March 11th governorship election in Enugu State. While addressing his supporters at his Itchi country home in Igboeze South Local Government Area of the state, Okey Ezea described the forthcoming governorship election in the State as “a do-or-die game” in Enugu North Senatorial District.

In a viral video, Okey Ezea urged the people not to celebrate yet as the main election for Nsukka zone was still ahead. “We have an election on the 11th of March and that is the most important’ he said. “Listen, you could see that I am not drinking like others because the battle ahead is fiercer than the February 25th battle that we won. “If we had 400 votes in each polling unit in the February 25th election, we want 1,000 votes in each polling unit now”.

Continuing, he said “Young men, please, you must prepare yourselves very well. We are going into a war on March 11th and it is a do or die game. Nobody can come from outside to Nkanu to intimidate us here”.

In his reaction, Jim Nwobodo said that Okey Ezea’s statement does not reflect the choice of the people of Nsukka, adding that it was disheartening that Okey Ezea who had only recently won an election is already sounding the drums of war. “Okey Ezea must not start a fight he can’t finish” Jim Nwobodo said. “It is wrong to say that an election will be a do or die affair. Okey Ezea was simply inciting the people of Nsukka against the people of Nkanu”.

Jim Nwobodo asked the people of Nkanu not to react to the unprovoked statement because the people of Nsukka are brothers and sisters and not enemies of the people of Nkanu. He noted that Peter Mba, candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) in the election was contesting to be governor of Enugu state and not the people of Nkanu. “I am speaking because I want peace in the state and that is the only way we can achieve development,”.

Meanwhile, the Campaign Council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State has called on the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police in Enugu State to immediately arrest Okey Ezea, over threats and incitement to violence in the governorship election billed for March 11, 2023.

In a statement by its Director of Communications and Spokesman, Nana Ogbodo, the council maintained that Okey Ezea’s statement was a breach of the accord for peaceful election signed by all the political parties and candidates and therefore an “awful incitement and prelude to bloodbath.

“This is hate speech and a most unfortunate development in a state where Ndi Enugu have coexisted as one family. It is a clear incitement to electoral violence and a prelude to needless bloodbath” the council said.  The campaign noted that it was sad that the comments were coming from one, who recently rode on the crest of Peter Obi’s credibility and peaceful dispositions to win a senatorial election just last weekend.

“We therefore call on the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police to immediately effect the arrest of Chief Okey Ezea to preempt this plot to kill helpless citizens and destroy their properties for their political beliefs and choices,” the council said. The council noted that Okey Ezea’s arrest has become very expedient to ensure a conducive environment for the people of Enugu State, especially the people of Enugu North senatorial zone, to enable them to freely exercise their franchise irrespective of the party or candidate that they support.

The Council, however urged the people of Nsukka zone not to succumb to the threats and incitements to violence by Okey Ezea and ensure that they come out en masse to vote for the candidates of the PDP in the March 11, 2023 elections as they had done in the past.