By Lucky Isibor
The Edo State government has raised the alarm over an alleged plan by the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to cause mayhem, destroy public and private properties in the state under the guise of rallies and protest in Edo State.
Addressing newsmen in Benin City on Wednesday, 7 August, the state Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare pointed out that the alleged plan of the APC is to cause civil unrest to advance their political agenda and called on security agencies to rein in on them before they act.
Debunking the government’s claim, the Edo State chapter of the APC said Governor Obaseki and the PDP are Hunted by the Ghost of Their #EndBadGovernance Protest in Edo State.
According to Nehikhare, “Our attention has been drawn to plans by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to orchestrate civil unrest and cause mayhem in the State under the guise of protests and rallies in order to advance their obnoxious political agenda.
“The APC is resorting to this devious plan because they have realized the folly of presenting an unlettered and incompetent candidate for the office of a governor.
“Their candidate, Monday Okpebholo, has continued to embarrass the party and his handlers in private and public fora with his poor grasp of basic concepts and intellectual immaturity, consistently displaying an inability to articulate and coherently sell his vision to the electorate and other key stakeholders.
“Reeling from the pains of selling a bad and unmarketable candidate and having failed in their desperate resort to lies and propaganda to hoodwink Edo people ahead of the September 21 governorship election, the only path the APC in Edo State now sees to promote their campaigns is to cause chaos and crisis in the State.
“Our findings reveal that the APC plans to incite civil unrest in the State and cause chaos under the guise of riots and protests in order to disrupt the peace and stability of the State, while diverting attention from their candidate’s weaknesses and buying time to avoid debates and meaningful engagement with the people”.
While stating that the Edo government will not sit and watch anyone unleash mayhem in the State, Nehikhare called on security agencies to take notice of their observation and counseled the APC that election is not war but contestation of ideas on how to better the lot of the citizenry.
“The Edo State Government is aware of their evil plans, and will not sit idly and watch them unleash mayhem on the people and cause chaos in the State.
“While we call the attention of all security agencies in the State, including the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the Department of State Services (DSS), the Brigade Commander, 4 Brigade, Benin, among others, to take notice of this planned heinous plan by the APC to orchestrate civil unrest and cause mayhem in the State, we assure members of the public to be rest assured that the government will spare no effort within the ambits of the law to forestall this planned attack on the State and its people and ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice.
“Instead of trying to stir strife, we urge them to bring their candidate out for debates and engagements with the electorate and other stakeholders as is obtainable in all other civilized climes. The APC must know that election is not war. Rather, issues, vision, and manifestos are debated in a civil and respectable manner, and not hiding behind strife and chaos to force their way to power.
“We urge the APC to refrain from their divisive tactics and resort to violence. They should instead bring their candidate out to speak to the people, even if it is in pidgin or his local Esan dialect, and as well debate with other candidates. Edo people deserve to hear directly from him to enable them to make informed decisions ahead of the September 21 governorship election in the State”.
On the controversy over the Edo State’s share of the federal rice, the Special Adviser to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie confirmed that the state government received some bags of rice from the federal government which it distributed to orphanages, Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camps, local government areas in accordance with the sharing formula supplied by the same federal government.
Reacting on behalf of the APC, Comrade Orobosa Omo-Ojo,
Director of Publicity, Edo APC Governorship Campaign Council said the accusation stem from the government’s fear of reprisal from Edo people.
According to Omo-Ojo, “The continued rehash of phantom puny stories by Governor Godwin Obaseki and his godson, Asue Ighodalo, is a reflection of their fear of reprisals from Edo State people who recently capitalized on the End Bad Governance protest that was sponsored by Obaseki against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to search for their hinden palliatives which the governor stored in the houses of PDP leaders”.