…. Ugbo denies allegation, says Iyere’s owing him and threatening his life
By Lucky Isibor
The governorship candidate of Accord Party in the Edo State 2024 governorship election, Comrade Kennedy Iyere has alleged that Comrade Curtis Ugbo is sending him death threats.
In a press statement signed by Comrade Kennedy Iyere himself and made available to newsmen in Benin City on Friday, 3 May, the Accord Party governorship candidate alleged that Comrade Curtis Ugbo deleted the voice note where he made the alleged death threat immediately he noticed he has listened to it.
However, Comrade Curtis Ugbo denied sending death threats to Iyere adding that the Accord Party governorship candidate is owing him and some other persons and insulting and threatening him.
Comrade Iyere’s statement pointed out that the matter has been reported to the police and challenged Ugbo to go with him to the Palace of the Oba of Benin to swear to an oath should he deny the allegation.
“After sending the death threat, he immediately deleted the message from the WhatsApp platform and that was when he noticed I had listened to it. He was clear with his threat, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU, these were exactly his words.
“Curtis will be taken to the Oba Palace to stand before the Palace and swear that he did not tell me HE IS GOING TO KILL ME.”
While narrating the genesis of the the issues that led to Ugbo’s alleged death threat on his life, Iyere stated that he contested and won the Accord Party governorship primary election after being returned unopposed and immediately announced Bright Enabulele as his running mate adding that Ugbo was in attendance after he brought him to the party.
According to the statement, “Days after the primary, there was a three-man conspiracy against Comrade Iyere aimed to remove him as candidate of Accord and replace him with Bright Enabulele, his Deputy who neither contributed a kobo to the primary nor assisted in any other way towards the conduct and success of the primary. Moreover, this same Enabulele, prior to this period of the primary, had not visited Edo State for more than 10 to 15 years. The three persons behind the conspiracy were Curtis Eghosa Ugbo, Joseph Omorogbee (Accord Edo Chairman) and Osagie Osazuwa. These three men invited Bright Enabulele to Nigeria and assured him that he would be used as a replacement or a substitute for Comrade Iyere, the man who legitimately and lawfully won the guber primary of Accord Party and picked him as a Running Mate. Enabulele agreed with them and flew down to Nigeria but only to discover that it was impossible to replace Iyere”.
“When all else had failed to achieve their plans within the substitution window of INEC, Curtis Eghosa Ugbo has now resulted to issuing serious death threats to Comrade Iyere, trailing his activities. Yesterday, Thursday 2nd May, 2024 at exactly 8:57PM, Curtis Eghosa Ugbo sent a death threat voice note to Iyere assuring that he would kill him and make sure he did not participate in the 2024 Edo Guber Poll. He immediately deleted the voice note. This time around based on that voice note, Iyere is not willing to take anything for granted”.
Denying Iyere’s allegations, Ugbo stated that he sponsored Iyere’s primary election in Accord Party alleging that he’s owing him and one Osagie Osazuwa money and now allegedly resulting to abusive language and threats.
“Iyere is owing us money, he refused to pay. I sponsored his primaries and promised that he is going to return my money, he’s owing me over three million naira; he’s owing one Tony Okon over 1.8 million naira and one other Osagie Osazuwa two hundred thousand naira. Since after the primaries we have not seen Iyere till now, even I was told he was in Benin, he refused to come and pay me my money, instead he’s insulting me, insulting everybody, threatening everybody. He’s the one threatening that he will kill his head, he can’t kill me because he’s owing me money; he has to pay me my money am asking him to pay me my money, that’s all. I don’t have any problem with him. Tell him to pay me my money, its him that wants to kill himself. He should pay me what he’s owing me. I have already reported him to the police, I’ve reported him to the Palace of the Oba of Benin. He will come and tell the world if he’s owing me or not, if he says he’s not owing me, let him come and swear before the gods of the land”, Ugbo said.