The Edo State Government has appealed to President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to instruct security agencies to halt attacks on unarmed Edo residents ahead of next Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
The government also urged international communities to pressure President Tinubu to ensure that the electorate can vote for the political party they believe is best suited to lead the state for the next four years.
State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, made the call on Sunday at a press conference in Benin City.
Nehikhare stated that the call was prompted by findings from the government’s intelligence, which allegedly uncovered plans to arrest party members before and during the election, recruit 200 militants and fake police officers to undermine the electoral process in favor of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He alleged that these plots are being orchestrated by APC leaders and chieftains in the state.
He also claimed that security agencies, especially the police, are attacking unarmed and innocent Edo residents and Nigerians simply because they want a free, fair, and credible election.
According to him, “We are using this press conference to call 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 innocent Edo people and Nigerians. These people have done nothing wrong except that they want a free, fair, and credible election so they can vote for the candidate of their choice.”
“We also call on the International Community, including the embassies of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, as well as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU), to pressure President Tinubu so that the electorate in Edo can cast their votes for whoever they believe is best to lead their state for the next four years.”
“Despite all the appeals made to the police to end the indiscriminate arrest of chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), they have deployed additional squads of policemen from outside Edo State to begin the massive arrest of PDP chieftains perceived to be politically influential in their constituencies, in order to facilitate the manipulation of elections in those areas.”
“Our intelligence has also uncovered the massive production of masks and police uniforms by APC agents to disguise their thugs, who they plan to deploy to disrupt voting processes in units and wards where they know they do not stand a chance of victory. Only recently, an APC chieftain was seen wearing one of those uniforms, and the police even defended such blatant impersonation.”
“We have also uncovered plans by the House of Representatives member representing Ovia Constituency, who has allegedly engaged about 200 militants to disrupt election materials and officials in the riverine areas of the state, from Ologbo and Nikorogha to Siluko.
“We understand that these militants have already been transported into the state and lodged in various hotels. We are providing this information for security agencies to act swiftly to arrest or dislodge these thugs and thwart these plans.”
“We are also aware of plans allegedly orchestrated by Senator Adams Oshiomhole to engage the Commander of Mopol 60 and his men to provide protection around Senator Oshiomhole’s residence in Iyamho. This would allow the senator and his supporters to take the ballot papers and election materials into his premises and thumbprint all the ballot papers for APC, leaving other parties with no chance of fair votes.”
“In the last elections, we provided similar information which was ignored. The BVAS report confirmed our report as 210 people were accredited but over 1000 votes were recorded.”
“Having confirmed that they cannot win in Okpella, Lampese, Fugar, Ibillo, and Agenebode, the APC has planned to use thugs disguised in the masks and police uniforms they produced to disrupt the electoral process and intimidate voters in those areas.”
“In Egor Local Government Area, the APC has assembled thugs at the home of Crosby Eribo and other locations in the neighborhood under the protection of the Textile Mill Police Station to disrupt the voting process in Egor Local Government,” he alleged.
The commissioner further alleged that plans have been uncovered to redeploy all security officials attached to Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, leaving him without protection and vulnerable before and during election day.
During the Independent National Electoral Commission’s stakeholders’ meeting on the state governorship election in Benin City, Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun stated that police escorts attached to VIPs would be withdrawn on the eve of the election.
Egbetokun assured that alternative security arrangements would be provided across the state to ensure security.
