Gunmen have assassinated Alaba Excel Abbey, a campaign coordinator for Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

Late Abbey was shot dead on Saturday evening at his residence in Supare.

He was the Returning Officer for the recently concluded All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in Ondo state.

Abbey was also the ward coordinator for the Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organization Foot-Soldiers (LACO-SF), in Ward 10 in the locality.

The elder brother to the deceased, Samuel Abbey, said the assailants struck at about 9 pm shortly after his brother returned home while relaxing in front of his house.

READ ALSO: Lucky Aiyedatiwa wins Ondo APC governorship primary election

The Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organisation Foot Soldiers Independent Council (LACO-FSIC)-SF, which condemned the murder of its members, urged security agencies to give protection to its members across the state.

The information director of the organization, Kayode Fasua, said the deceased was actively involved in campaigning for the election of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa until his untimely demise.

He said: “Excel had been a resourceful coordinator for the Aiyedatiwa campaign organisation in Ward 10 of Supare and was never known to be violent and never had any history of a local or domestic dispute.

“We urge the police authorities to step up investigations into his gruesome murder and bring the perpetrators of the dastardly act to book.”

Mikel Arteta promised that his Arsenal players will fight to the bitter end of a thrilling title chase after they survived a frantic finale to squeak past Tottenham in the north London derby.

Arsenal continue to jostle with Manchester City in what has become a two-horse race, even though they had to defend for their lives in the latter stages as Spurs threatened to cancel out a 3-0 half-time deficit. They pull through and Arteta is convinced nothing will be left on the table during their final three games.

When Kai Havertz scored their third goal seven minutes before half-time it appeared Arsenal would cruise home. He converted a towering header, having also created the second for Bukayo Saka. Arteta brimmed with praise for the in-form forward’s performance and revealed it had been delivered in particularly testing circumstances.

“He was sensational in every department today,” Arteta said. “He wasn’t at 100%. He was ill before the match, he was a bit struggling and still he put the performance that he put in. I thought he was unbelievable today.”

Had it not been for an inexplicable error by David Raya, who passed straight to Cristian Romero and handed Tottenham a lifeline, Arsenal may have sailed home. Arteta conspicuously hugged his keeper at full-time and refused to apportion blame, preferring to highlight the Spaniard’s response.

READ ALSO: How Five-star Arsenal thrashed ‘Palmerless’ Chelsea to go three points clear

“It’s part of football,” he said. “You misjudge the situation, you try to make the pass and you don’t and then you are in the doubt zone, and they scored and took advantage of that.

“What I love is that David does that, he picks his hands up, which are quite heavy, and he was sensational for the last 20 or 25 minutes of the game. This is what I love about our players.”

Arteta admitted he had been “praying” after Son Heung-min’s penalty brought the score back to 3-2. “We had to dig in and suffer and react,” he said of their late rearguard effort. “ I’m very pleased with the way the team has done it.”

For Ange Postecoglou there was disappointment that his side, who sit seven points shy of fourth-placed Aston Villa with two games in hand, could not quite match the level of their more polished rivals. “It’s about now, over the course of time, getting from where we are to where we want to get to,” he said.

Micky van de Ven had an equaliser ruled out for offside via a protracted VAR check shortly before Saka’s goal and Postecoglou, who has long criticised the extra layer of officiating, reiterated his frustration. “Games are not refereed in the stadium any more,” he said. “They are refereed somewhere else and no one will convince me otherwise. That’s why I don’t celebrate goals any more. I wait for somebody down the road.

“I just don’t think referees in the stadium any more have that authority they used to have to make decisions. They just go: ‘You know what, I’ll just wait and see what the bloke down the road thinks.’ It’s a shame, I don’t like it but it’s here to stay and I’ve got to accept it like everyone else.”

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, will on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, lead Governors of the South South States for the BRACED (Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo and Delta) Commission Governors Council meeting taking place in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

The meeting among other issues will focus on regional interests and addressing critical issues affecting the region, including power, security, agricultural financing, and youth empowerment, among others.

READ ALSO: Open grazing remains ban in Edo state, Obaseki insists

In a statement, the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Hon. Chris Nehikhare, said the meeting to be chaired by Governor Obaseki who is the current chairman of the Council, will be attended by the Governors of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and Delta States.

According to him, “The BRACED Commission Governor’s Council, comprising the Governors of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa lbom, Cross River, Edo and Delta States will meet on Tuesday, 30 April 2024 in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state.

“The meeting will discuss some crucial issues affecting the region including security and the power situation in the south south. It will also discuss agricultural financing and empowerment of youths and women in the region.”

Nehikhare added, “The meeting to be chaired by H. E Godwin Obaseki, the Governor of Edo State and current chairman of the council is part of the continuous efforts to revive and strengthen the BRACED Commission which was established in 2009 following the first South-South Economic Summit in Calabar, Cross River State.”