There were confusion and pandemonium yesterday, as Senator Annie Okonkwo escaped assassination during a rally of the Accord Party (AP) in Anambra state even as his attacker was allegedly shot dead.

Daily Champion gathered that trouble started when thugs suspected to belong to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) invaded the place and started shouting that they would vote APGA and no other party.

An eyewitness, Mr Obi Ochije told Daily Champion that the incident was avoidable:. He said: "Awka youths don't want this kind of disruption of political campaigns by hooligans. We want peaceful campaigns by candidates and tolerance must be the watch word of the candidates".

"I don't know why anybody should hire thugs to disrupt another candidate's campaign not to talk of attacking a candidate. You won't believe that Senator Okonkwo narrowly escaped being killed. His shirt was cut at the hand when the attacker wanted to kill him".

Ochije further expressed dismay that the incident would be happening at a time a candidate Hon Emma Uchieze, incumbent member of the House of Representatives in company of Senator Annie Okonkwo, both candidates of Accord Party in the April elections were at the market.

He thanked Hon Uchieze for donating a borehole to the market to be drilled within one week and Senator Okonkwo for bringing a transformer and N1 million for installation of electricity which the area did not have.

He warned that Awka youths and community would not tolerate such again, since political campaigns should be issue based.

Director of the Senator Annie Okonkwo campaign organization, Chief Joe-Martins Uzodike, said Okonkwo was at the market on invitation invited to address the traders after he donated a new transformer to the market last week.