The Department of State Services (DSS) Thursday arrested former National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and its candidate for the Anambra Central Senatorial District election, Chief Victor Umeh, over support for the secessionist Biafra movement.
It was gathered that Umeh was invited to the headquarters of the DSS at Amawbia, Awka, Anambra State at about 9am.
After about two hours, he was taken out of the office in a pick-up van en-route Abuja.
Umeh’s spokesman, Stan Okeke, confirmed the arrest, saying the APGA chieftain was picked up from his Enugu residence on allegation of sponsoring activities of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
He also alleged that Uche Ekwunife, Umeh’s arch-rival, had written a petition against the APGA chieftain.
Umeh contested the Anambra central senatorial election in 2015 but lost to Ekwunife, who ran on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He challenged her victory from the tribunal to the appeal court, which set aside the election and ordered a rerun.
Umeh was looking forward to the poll before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) suspended it indefinitely.
INEC based its action on a court order obtained by the PDP, which was initially excluded from the exercise.
