Anambra stampede: Ngige blames Obi for using church as campaign ground

FOLLOWING the order of arrest of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for November 16  Anambra governorship election, Dr Chris Ngige,  by the national chairman All Progress Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh, Ngige Campaign Organisation has blamed Governor Peter Obi, for using church as his campaign ground.
It will be recalled how over 28 people died of stampede at the Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, Uke, in Anambra State, on November 2.
Briefing newsmen in Awka, on Monday, Ngige Campaign Organisation, described Umeh’s reation as “unfortunate,”as Ngige did not in any way contribute to the tragedy.
 Director-General Ngige Campaign Organisation, Chief (Dr) George Muoghalu, criticised the attempt by the state government to shift the blame on Ngige or his supporters, describing it as “another cheap and desperate effort to cover up the heinous crime.”
According to him, we see this as part of the orchestrated desperate campaigns to drag the reputation of the candidate of Ngige in the mud.
“The attention of the Ngige Campaign Organisation has been drawn to the press briefing by the Anambra State governor, Mr Obi and the national chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh.
“Both men blamed the APGA midnight church campaign stampede at Uke, which killed about 30 innocent people on Ngige’s 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,” he said.
Muoghau stressed that the place of incident was purely a house of prayers “where traumatised Anambra people go to reconcile themselves with God and seek succour from pains.
“But 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.
“Governor 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 congregants that eventually culminated in this avoidable deaths caused by stampede,” he said.
He said that the statement credited to the state government that the stampede was caused by the supporters of Ngige should be disregarded and seen as “a tissue of lies.”

- Tribune

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