APGA,APC Trade Blames Over Anambra Stampede

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh has accused the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the November 16, election in Anambra State, Senator Chris Ngige of being responsible for the stampede that claimed dozens of lives at the Adoration Crusade at Uke in Anambra State, over the weekend.
According to Chief Umeh, Senator Ngige orchestrated the incident by displaying his campaign posters at a purely religious event, stating that his action was in bad taste.
However,  in its reaction to the disaster,  the All Progressives Congress (APC) said Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State should be held responsible for the stampede at a vigil in Uke that left over 30 people dead, for turning a house of prayer into a house of politics
In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said had Governor Obi and the unpopular candidate he is seeking to impose on the people of the state, Willie Obiano, not gone to the praying ground to engage in wrongful politicking, the innocent souls who died at the vigil would be alive today.
It 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, adding that  it should also not be a licence to engage in political campaign.
APC condemned the plan by Gov. Obi 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, Mr. Obiano”, according to the statement.
“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 Governor Obi had not come to the vigil or, even if he had come, had not attempted to politicise the gathering that was meant strictly for prayers,” APC said.
The party said Governor Obi should now take a cue from the disapproval that is trailing his desperate bid to impose a candidate on the state by ending all activities that can put the lives of Anambrarians at risk.
“We recall that an angry pro