Immediate past Senate President, David Mark, has raised the alarm over a plot by the deputy governor of Benue State, Benson Abounu, and some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to assassinate him ahead of Saturday’s rerun election in Benue South senatorial district.
Senator Mark, in a statement by his media aide, Paul Mumeh, on Monday, said the APC candidate for the election, Daniel Onjeh, through his campaign Director, Okpokwu Ogenyi, in connivance with the deputy governor, had allegedly hired the services of dreaded cultists to unleash terror in the district and in the process target him (Mark) for elimination.
The statement said the cultists allegedly hired for the assassination include the notorious supreme Vikings squad from Jos, Plateau State and the dreaded Black Axe in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
It also said Mark, who is seeking to retain his seat on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had already alerted the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, of the plot by the APC stalwarts in the state to assassinate him.
In a petition to the IGP signed by his counsel, Ken Ikonne, the statement said, the former senate president alleged that Mr. Ogenyi was the arrowhead of the plot.
“It is obvious that Ogenyi knows more about the assassination plot than he has revealed”, the petition said.
“Our client has therefore instructed us to petition you (IGP) to as a matter of urgency apprehend and interrogate Ogenyi to throw more light on the details of this grave assassination plot before he and his associates carry out the dastardly plot.
“Only yesterday, police said to be attached to the State Deputy Governor Benson Abounu fired several gun shots into the family house of Senator Mark in Otukpo.
“No reason was given for the unprovoked attack and no arrest has been made”.
The petition also said a couple of weeks ago, the APC chairman in the state, Abbah Yaro, was quoted as saying “if Senator Mark wants, let him win the election in seven out of the nine local government areas but no returning officer born of a woman will dare declare him”.
Also, the Benue State chairman of the PDP, Emmanuel Agbo, had petitioned the police command in the state over the unhealthy political activities of APC ahead of the election.
Mr. Agbo also asked the authorities to prevail on the APC to allow peace reign.
