They urged the arrest and prosecution of the masterminds immediately.
At least three people were killed when armed men raided the Akokwa rural residence of Ugochinyere, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Ideato federal seat, on Saturday evening.
The as-yet-unidentified shooters demolished his home and other vehicles parked on the property.
In a statement, COSEYL's President General, Goodluck Ibem, vehemently condemned the brutal attack and urged the Inspector General of Police, IGP, to investigate the event fully and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
According to COSEYL, Ugochinyere's attackers were unable to gain access to him due to the tenacious resistance of the security men assigned to him; however, they ended up killing his uncle and two other individuals and torching houses in his compound."
This was the second time he had been the target of an assassination attempt.
"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the assassination of these three innocent victims," the statement reads. When did campaigning and electoral participation become illegal in Nigeria?
"It is surprising that in a democracy that protects free speech, the CUPP Spokesperson and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate for Ideato North and Ideato South Federal Constituency would be targeted for assassination because he exposed the electoral manipulation and rigging strategy of the ruling party APC.
"In a World Press Conference, Ugochinyere had exposed the electoral fraud perpetrated by the APC during the Continuous Voters Card Registration exercise for the 2023 general elections by presenting evidence that the APC had registered dead people and foreigners as voters in the 2023 elections," he said.
COSEYL warned Armageddon should the CUPP Spokesperson be harmed.
"We advise the killers and their supporters who came to assassinate Ugochinyere, who has always staunchly defended our hard-won democracy, to rethink their actions, because if anything should happen to him, the Nigerian youths will reply in kind.
"The youths have awoken to reclaim their country, and we will not be deterred by the antics of anti-democratic forces that have oppressed our nation.
"We urge on the CUPP Spokesperson to hold firm for our democracy and to not be disheartened, as the youngsters are solidly behind him and his goal to safeguard the democracy that our forefathers worked so hard to obtain.
"We call on the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Baba, the DSS, and other security agencies to move swiftly to arrest and prosecute those assassins who came to assassinate the voice of the people, Barr Ikenga Ugochinyere, but ended up killing three innocent people who did nothing to deserve such a barbaric death," the statement reads.
(Source: www.vanguardngr.com)
