Senatorial Candidate killed a few days before Elections

Nigeria –

An unidentified group of gunmen in southeastern Enugu State have killed a senatorial candidate from Nigeria’s opposition Labour Party who was returning from a campaign event, according to a party official and police sources.

Oyibo Chukwu, who was favored to win the upcoming national election, was ambushed on Wednesday night and fatally shot. The Labour Party chairman suspects political assassination as the motive behind the killing. The incident occurred just hours after presidential candidates signed a pledge to ensure a peaceful electoral process.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has the power to suspend a poll and set a new date within 14 days in the event of a candidate’s death, but no decision has been made yet. According to Al Jazeera correspondent Haru Mutasa, Chukwu was travelling in a convoy when armed men opened fire on it, resulting in the death of the politician.