Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State yesterday promised that the state government would constitute a panel of inquiry to investigate the cause of the stampede which led to the death of 25 at the crusade of Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, Uke in Idemmili North Local Government Area of the state at the weekend.
This came as the All Progressives Congress (APC) condemned the recourse to the use of the church premises as avenues for political campaign in the run-up to the November 16, governorship election in the state.
Obi in a broadcast to the people of the state yesterday appealed to security agencies in the state to do everything possible to unearth the cause of the mayhem.
The governor sympathised with the families of the deceased, the presiding priest of the church, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obinma, the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha and all Anambrarians over the loss of lives.
Obi, who declared a three-day of mourning starting from yesterday in honour of those who lost their lives at the crusade, assured them that the state government would give them all the needed support to comfort them.
The governor, who said he was invited to the crusade by the presiding priest of the church, wondered why a place of prayer should be used as campaign ground.
The statement read: “With a deep sense of sorrow and sadness, I address you today on the tragedy which befell us yesterday at the Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, Uke, Idemmili North Local Government Area of Anambra State leading to the death of over 20 persons.
“My heart goes out to the immediate families of the deceased, the presiding priest, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obinma, the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha and indeed all Anambrarians. I assure you that the Anambra State Government in its usual manner, will give you all the needed support to comfort you at this painful period.
“I appeal to the good people of our dear state to remain calm and prayerful as God who has been with us all this while, will help us to overcome the present sad development so that we can continue the task of turning around our state. I have directed all security agencies to do everything possible to unearth the cause of this mayhem. A panel of inquiry will soon be constituted to investigate what happened.”
“Finally, I have declared three days of mourning starting from yesterday in honour of our departed ones. May their souls rest in peace.”
However, the APC, while clarifying that its concern stemmed from last weekend’s stampede at a vigil in a church at Uke in Anambra State, which claimed many lives with several injured, stated that if the governor and the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Willie Obiano, had not gone to the praying ground to engage in wrongful politicking, the innocent souls who died at the vigil would still be alive today.”
In a statement yesterday by its interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said Obi should be held responsible for the stampede “for turning a house of prayer into a house of politics.”
APC said while there was nothing wrong in a state governor going to a vigil, such visit should not be impromptu in order for the organisers to make the necessary security arrangements, and it should also not be a licence to engage in political campaign.
The party condemned the plan by the governor to set up a panel to investigate the stampede, considering that the governor himself is at the centre of the whole tragedy.
“Setting up a panel to investigate the cause of the stampede will amount to seeking to be a judge in your own case. The only cause of the stampede is the governor’s ill-advised visit to the vigil. Information at our disposal has it that the stampede was triggered by the governor’s overzealous security details who manhandled congregants as their principal was exiting the venue of the vigil. The security details were said to have been irked by the murmurs of disapproval that greeted the governor’s attempt to campaign for his candidate, Obiano.
“It is therefore disingenuous for the governor’s spin doctors to be shifting the blame on the supporters of our candidate, Senator Chris Ngige. The simple truth is that there would have been no stampede if Obi had not come to the vigil or, even if he had come, had not attempted to politicize the gathering that was meant strictly for prayers,” APC said.
The party said Obi should now take a cue from the disapproval that was trailing his desperate bid to impose a candidate on the state by ending all activities that can put the lives of Anambrarians at risk.
The party while praying that God grant repose to the souls of the departed and the injured a speedy recovery, said the candidacy of Obiano was not worth the blood and tears of the good people of the state.
Meanwhile, former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, has condoled with the families of those killed in the stampede.
The former vice-president expressed regret that such a tragedy would befall persons, who had taken out time to commune with their God and called for a probe into the incident to avoid acrimony in the state.
Atiku expressed his condolences to families of the victims, the people and government of Anambra State and the Catholic Church over the tragedy.
He prayed for the repose of the souls of the dead and comfort to their families to bear the great loss.
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