NIGERIA: ABIA GOVERNOR'S CONVOY ATTACK ALLEGED

UNCLAS LAGOS 000298 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/W, E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV NI SUBJECT: NIGERIA: ABIA GOVERNOR'S CONVOY ATTACK ALLEGED ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ¶1. (U) Summary: A July 22 attack on Abia Governor Theodore Orji's (People's Progressive Alliance, PPA) convoy, alleged by the Governor's office to have been an assassination attempt, may have further widened the political divide in Abia State. Tension has risen over the failure of the appeals court to deliver judgment on Orji's appeal against the electoral tribunal's February 25, 2008 overturning of his election as Governor. Given the appeals court's failure to give its ruling, Orji remains seated as governor until such time as a final decision is reached. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Gunmen attacked Abia Governor Theodore Orji's convoy July 22 on its way to Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers State, to pick up Governor Orji who was returning from a trip to the United States. The attackers and Orji's security officers exchanged gunfire for several minutes, killing one bystander and damaging several vehicles. Although initial police reports described the attack as a robbery, Governor Orji alleged the shooting was proof of an assassination plot. Orji cited a security report that pointed blame for the attack at his political opponents. Orji specifically accused the People's Democratic Party (PDP) of wanting him killed before a federal appeals court rules on his appeal of the February 25 election tribunal ruling overturning his election. Mascot Uzor Kalu, Orji's Chief of Staff (and former Governor Kalu's relative),told PolSpec July 24 that the Abia government firmly believes there are political motives behind the attack. (Note: The election tribunal nullified Orji's April 2007 election on the grounds that he breached electoral laws by not properly resigning his previous government position and by belonging to a secret cult. The tribunal ordered Orji to vacate the office and be replaced by Onyema Ugochukwu, the PDP's gubernatorial candidate. Orji's appeal is still pending, as the appeals court declared a recess in June and has yet to announce a date for its ruling. End Note.) The fact that the gunmen stole nothing during the altercation further buttresses this claim, Kalu argued. PDP Denies Allegations -------------- ¶3. (U) On July 23, the Abia PDP denied any involvement with the attack on Orji's convoy. Publicity secretary Henry Agbaeze issued a statement accusing a faction of the PPA of planning the attack. He claimed that supporters of former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu (for whom Theodore Orji worked as Chief of Staff) have been at loggerheads with seated Governor Theodore Orji following a disagreement over the sharing of local council's budgetary allocations from the federal account. Police Commissioner Edgar Nanakumo insisted to the press that the attack was a robbery attempt, stating that a commercial bus was robbed minutes earlier close to the site of the convoy shootout. It is possible the governor's convoy ran into an ongoing robbery, he said, stating that three men have been arrested in connection with these attacks. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: Tensions continue to rise in Abia over the failure of the appeals court to deliver judgment on Orji's appeal; both Orji and Ugohukwu have traded accusations that the other is bribing the appeals court judges. While robberies in this part of the state are not uncommon, the Governor's convoy is unmistakable in appearance. Whether the convoy came across an ongoing robbery, was the target of a robbery, or Orji was really the subject of an assassination plot is unclear; what is clear is that all parties in the state will continue trying to manipulate this event to their advantage in the uncertain atmosphere before the appeals court ruling. This is one of several recent claims by politicians that they have been targeted for assassination that further speak to the tension in the states. End comment. This cable has been cleared by Embassy Abuja. BLAIR