Labour Party (LP) Senatorial candidate for Enugu East, Oyibo Chukwu, and five of his aides have been killed by yet unidentified gunmen.
Mr Chukwu, a lawyer, and his aides were returning from a campaign in the Agbani area of Enugu State on Wednesday.
Enugu LP governorship candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, was one of the first to confirm the incident.
“It is true that our senatorial candidate for Enugu East senatorial district for Saturday’s election has been killed. They (gunmen) shot him and five others and set them ablaze.
“Our party members are being targeted for assassination by political parties that felt threatened by the rise of the Labour Party in the state and are afraid they may lose Saturday’s election,” The PUNCH quoted Mr Edeoga as saying.
Enugu LP chairman, Casmir Agbo, also confirmed the killing in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday.
“It’s true my brother. Just yesterday evening. It’s a terrible situation,” he said.
Norbert Okolo, media aide to the deputy governorship candidate of the party in Enugu, Dr John Nwokeabia, also confirmed that Chukwu and his five aides were burnt in his branded vehicle.
“This is terrible. It is very fearful. People should be very careful this time because you don’t know who are responsible,” he said.
LP presidential candidate Peter Obi said he received news of the killing with deep shock.
“I received with deep shock and sadness, the news of the painful killing of Barr Oyibo Chukwu, the Senatorial Candidate of the Labour Party, for Enugu East Senatorial Zone.
Enough of the killings, now is time for healing. I sincerely condole with the bereaved family, the Enugu East Senatorial Zone and our dear Labour Party family, for this painful loss.
“I call on the law enforcement agents to fish out and bring to book the perpetrators of this crime, and ensure that Nigerians freely exercise their civic duties without intimidation,” Mr Obi said in messages posted on Twitter.
