Suspected political thugs kill YPP ward chairman in Anambra ahead Reps rerun election

Gunmen suspected to be political thugs have killed a ward chairman of Young Progressives Party (YYP) in Anambra State.

The ward chairman, whose name was given as Joe Mohale, of Nanka Ward 1 in Orumba North Local Government Area, was killed on Saturday evening, shortly after a meeting where he hosted the member representing Orumba North and South Federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon Chinwe Nnabuife.

The incident is coming ahead of the rerun election in the area between the YPP candidate, Nnabuife, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, flagbearer, Okwudili Ezenwankwo.

Mohale, a strong member of the YPP, had held a meeting with Nnabuife promising to mobilize for her victory against Ezenwankwo, who hails from the area.

However, Mohale was shot immediately after the meeting.

A source said his death was not unconnected to politics as a rival political party had warned people of the area not to host Nnabuife.

Nnabuife, a candidate of YPP in the last election, had won the poll and was also sworn in as the member representing the constituency in the House of Representatives.

The election petition tribunal however ordered a rerun in 16 polling units in Nanka Ward one, where her rival, Nwankwo, hails from, and the decision was also upheld by the Court of Appeal, leading both parties to begin preparations for the rerun.

Meanwhile, the Young Progressives Party, YPP, has gone into morning following the killing of its member.

Nnabuife, who assumed leadership of the party in the South East after the defection of Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, said the party has been thrown into mourning because of the incident.

She attributed the incident to her political opponent.

“We have been thrown into mourning. This is the handwork of those who we are up against. Though INEC has not fixed the date, but there will be a rerun between me and Ezenwankwo of PDP.

“Mohale was a strong supporter of our party and we will not stop at anything to ensure that his death is not in vain. People do everything to bully us out of the race, but as woman who is determined to help her people through effective legislation, we are not detered by the number of thugs they send after us,” Nnabuife lamented.