Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State on Wednesday alleged that the opposition leaders in the state are plotting to assassinate him in order to take over the state in 2019.

Umahi raised the alarm after an emergency security meeting at the Government House in Abakaliki.

The governor had summoned the emergency security meeting following the discovery of an explosive device suspected to be an improvised explosive device (IED) at the headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) along Abakaliki Enugu Expressway by security agents.

Addressing newsmen after the security council meeting held at the State Executive Council Chambers, Government House in Abakaliki, the governor described the discovery of the IED as shocking and wondered why the opposition would be resorting to killings because of inordinate quest for political power.

Umani said “All the available security briefs from the commissioner of police to other security chiefs in the state pointed to the desperation of some persons in the opposition party to cause mayhem in the state ahead of 2019 general elections.

“The police discovered bomb in our PDP secretariat and from all accounts, the information from the security briefs from the commissioner of police, the IED was a little bit odd showing that it must have been planted by the desperate opposition people in one of the days I was at the secretariat for a meeting but God did not allow the thing to detonate and God will never allow it to happen to us.

“Our suspects are the desperate opposition people who have become jobless and aggressive ahead of the 2019 general election because they think they can cease power by all means.

“I have directed the security chiefs to make full scale investigation into the incident and report to their various headquarters while we as government will report to Mr. President.”