FIVE days to the governorship election in Edo State, the state government, on Sunday, alleged plans to redeploy the security officials attached to the Governor Godwin Obaseki, in order to leave him without protection and render him vulnerable ahead of the poll.
Addressing the press in Benin City, the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation in the state, Chris Nehikhare, drew the attention of the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the diplomatic corps to the development, which he said was part of the intelligence which the government gathered “ahead of the September 21 governorship election in Edo State.”
Nehikhare appealed to the police to end what he described as the indiscriminate arrest of chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He accused the security agencies of deploying some other squads of policemen from outside Edo to begin massive arrest of PDP chieftains perceived to be politically strong in their various constituencies in order to pave the way for the manipulation of elections in those areas.
He further alleged: “We have uncovered plans to redeploy all the security officials attached to the Edo State Governor, His Excellency Governor Godwin Obaseki, in order to leave him without protection and render him vulnerable as we head into the election as well as on Election Day.
“Having confirmed that they cannot win in Okpella, Lampese, Fugar, Ibillo, and Agenebode, the APC has concluded plans to use thugs veiled in those masks and police uniforms which they produced to disrupt electoral process and intimidate voters in those areas.”
“We are by this press conference calling on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to order the security agencies, especially the police to stop the attacks on unarmed and harmless Edo people and Nigerians who have done nothing wrong except that they want a free, fair and credible election so that they can vote for the candidate of their choice.”
Reacting, the governorship campaign council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the September 21 governorship election in Edo State described as mere hallucination, the allegations by the state government that the security details attached to Governor Obaseki would be withdrawn ahead of the election so as to make the governor vulnerable.
Orobosa Omo-Ojo, the Director of Publicity, Edo APC campaign council, said: “In the past two weeks, Governor Godwin Obaseki, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, have been exhibiting a symptom of hallucination, which has led to perceptions of having seen, heard, touched, tasted or smelled things that are hunting them.
“The ghost of an imminent defeat on September 21, 2024 has become a horrible, nightmarish feeling for Obaseki and Asue his godson. The reality of their inability to use the notorious ESSN to disrupt the scheduled election is responsible for their phantom make-believe stories.
“Yesterday, September 14, 2024, PDP showed that truly, Asue will continue from where Obaseki will stop on November 12, by snubbing the palace of Benin when Atiku Abubakar and others in company of Asue Ighodalo refused to visit the monarch.
“By their action, PDP has confirmed their ignoble position of ‘Oghionoba’, enemy of the Oba. Edo people have accepted the challenge and will defend what they treasure most on Saturday.”
“A few days ago, September 14, 2024, Obaseki and Asue confirmed the fear of Edo people when they refused to sign the peace accord organised by the General Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee. By their action, the PDP and Candidate Asue showed to the world that the party intends to shoot its way to victory.
“Sadly for them, Edo people are ready to resist them, not minding the threats of “Nigeria will burn” if the Independent National Electoral Commission refuses to write results for a candidate.
“Nigerians are reminded of Governor Obaseki’s recent charge to his ragtag supporters that the September 21, 2024 election is a “do-or-die” contest the PDP must win. He reminded his deflated party hirelings that they will die if APC wins.
“During the week, another individual said to the chairman of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in Edo State, Orion Place, threatened INEC that Edo State and Nigeria will burn if the electoral body fails to declare Asue winner.
“Going by the prevailing scenario, Nigerians can tell who the merchants of violence are. For us in the All Progressives Congress, our cardinal goal is to sack the PDP from Edo State through the ballot box and set our people free from the vise-grips of buccaneer capitalists that have ruined the state and mortgaged the future of Edo people.
“The call by PDP and Obaseki for external help is akin to that of a misfit man who has mischievously set fire in his house and asking neighbours to save him from the inferno,” the APC campaign council spokesman, alleged.
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