Eucharia Agbasimalo, wife of the kidnapped Labour Party governorship candidate in Anambra State, Obiora Agbasimalo on Thursday remembered her husband and pledged her undying love for him even as he’s spent two years and four days in the kidnappers’ den.
Mrs Agbasimalo took to her Facebook page and wrote: “Through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, in and out of sight, my love for you will never die❤️ I love you forever and a million years more❤️ till the day I breathe my last on this side of existence, I promise to LOVE YOU and continue to be your WIFE! a million miles will never be enough to separate our hearts❤️ 2 years and 4 days today! But until forever comes, I will always love you. Thank you for the best years of my life yet! The husband of my youth 🥰Jesus is glorified 🙌 Love, Eucharia Agbasimalo”.
Obiora Agbasimalo, banker and politician was kidnapped on September 18, 2021, making it two years and four days ago. Obiora was Labour Party’s governorship candidate in the last Anambra State gubernatorial election that eventually produced Prof Charles Soludo, the APGA candidate, as the incumbent governor of Anambra State. He however did not witness, nor did he take part in the election as he was already in the hands of his abductors before the date of the election.
The Presidential Candidate of Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi is from the same Anambra State. The Agbasimalo family, particularly Eucharia, continues to cry out about the ‘conspiracy of silence’ over the kidnapping of her husband, saying the leadership of the party remained silent concerning their plight.
Last year, which was the first anniversary of the kidnap, Eucharia said: “I am very disappointed. In fact, words fail me to express how disappointed I am at the way they have handled this matter. I felt they should have done a lot more. I always felt that for a governorship candidate to be missing and the party could still go ahead campaigning, carrying on activities as though nothing happened, I don’t know how to explain it. I don’t know why. They went ahead with their campaign rallies; meanwhile, they told us not to go to the police or inform the press about the case. They said the kidnappers had threatened that if we reported the matter in any way, they would kill my husband, and none of us wanted that, so we were just paralyzed and at their mercy;
kidnapped Labour Party Governorship Candidate, Anambra State
We actually felt the situation was under control and that the party was working on it. After about a week, they came back with the story that we should not panic, that the kidnap was political and that my husband was going to be released after the election. So, you can just imagine how we lived in fear waiting for the election to be over;
We actually felt the situation was under control and that the party was working on it. After about a week, they came back with the story that we should not panic, that the kidnap was political and that my husband was going to be released after the election. So, you can just imagine how we lived in fear waiting for the election to be over;
In fact, I was surprised that INEC would go ahead with that election because I don’t know how a candidate would be missing and nobody talks about it. It wasn’t even in major news in Anambra State, so much so that the commissioner of Police in Anambra State said the police were not aware of the kidnap. So, I don’t know what the Labour Party did, I don’t know if they reported it because they always claimed that they reported. Whenever I reached out to them, they would say the Inspector-General of Police was aware, the DSS was aware and that they had reported to all the relevant agencies in the country, but in reality, nothing was being done. Instead, there was a voice note from the party debunking the news that my husband was missing; I wonder why they had to do that? They trivialized my husband’s kidnap because of their political activities and I did not know what they intended to achieve by that. So, I don’t know what effort LP made towards this rather than what they have said. I did not see any action to match what they said that they had done. I know that they will say they held a protest rally, but this was 83 days after the kidnap. This is not a local issue, if they are making an effort, everybody should be aware”.
However, two years later, Obiora’s fate is still unknown. His wife has continued to keep hope alive, counting on her faith in God to bring her husband back. Everybody dreads to mention or even ask if he is still alive.
His colleagues and customers of Zenith bank will remember young Obiora as he is fondly called, as a dutiful, diligent, friendly and compassionate banker who is always ready to give a helping hand. He was the Account Officer to this reporter for several years before he decided to join politics. Many were surprised at his decision as he was seen as very gentle for the murky waters of Nigerian politics, and particularly, the volatile Anambra State. Even Eucharia did not envisage that part of him. Those fears she had then had been her reality in the past two years, but she still keeps hope alive.
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