The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat, in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, was on Tuesday thrown into chaos following shootings by unidentified gunmen who operated along Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway, opposite the secretariat.
Party members had gathered at the secretariat awaiting the arrival of materials for the party’s three-man delegate congress before the shootings started.
The three-man delegate congress had earlier been scheduled for last week but later postponed to Tuesday, May 3.
Following the shootings, members abandoned the congress and scampered for safety as the gunmen shot from outside the party secretariat.
Journalists who were at the party secretariat to monitor the distribution of the materials were trapped inside.
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It took the quick intervention of security operatives who accompanied some political office holders to the party secretariat to repel the attackers. No casualty was, however, recorded at the scene.
By 4pm on Tuesday when our correspondent left the party secretariat, the delegate congress had not commenced due to a delay in the arrival of materials.
Some executive officers of the party alleged that some persons hijacked the materials and called for a full investigation into the matter.
Other party chieftains also alleged that the leadership crisis in the party might be the reason behind the delay in the arrival of delegate materials.
An official later confirmed to BusinessDay that the congress failed to hold, citing the public holiday as the reason.
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