The Edo State Government has raised concerns that 10 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state have been arrested and taken to Abuja by the Nigeria Police.
Chris Nehikhare, the State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, made the allegation during a press conference in Benin City.
He claimed that among those arrested are a local government chairman and members of the State Vigilante Network.
According to him, some of the individuals have been held for months without being charged, which he described as a violation of their fundamental human rights.
“The APC are only jittery over their impending loss and are now deploying all sorts of Machiavellian tactics to avert the will of the people and get to Osadebey Avenue.
But they must know that the election is already a lost cause for them,” Nehikhare said, urging security agencies to act professionally as the governorship election draws closer.
Responding to a statement by the APC, Nehikhare added, “Our attention has been drawn to an infantile, reckless, and utterly baseless statement by the Media Consultant to the Edo All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Campaign Council, Kassim Afegbua, in which he made a number of condescending, spurious and outlandish accusations.”
He described the APC’s claims as a “tissue of well-worded falsehoods” designed to incite violence and undermine the election, noting that their strategy is a response to their lack of confidence in a free and fair contest.
Nehikhare emphasized that the inflammatory rhetoric from the APC is an “insult to the sensibilities of the Edo people.”
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He further alleged that the APC has resorted to using law enforcement to intimidate PDP supporters, stating, “Pray tell who has been planning to resort to violence to win the elections? Who has been boasting of federal might since the start of the campaigns? Whose thugs besieged Airport Road causing mayhem and disorderliness that led to the death of a Police Officer? Who has used the Police to harass supporters of the PDP in the last few weeks? It has been the APC all along.”
Nehikhare urged the APC to explain the whereabouts of the arrested PDP members and why they have not been charged to court.
“Let the APC explain to us where our members and leaders are? Why have they not been charged to court since their arrest?” he questioned.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Edo State Chapter of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Newman Ugiagbe, condemned the arrest and alleged assault of Esan West Local Government Council Chairman, Collins Aigbogun, by the Police.
Ugiagbe described the arrest as a “clear violation of democratic principles and the rule of law” and called on the relevant authorities to take immediate action.
“We urge the authorities to prioritize the investigation of this assault and hold the culprits accountable for their actions.
Violence has no place in our democratic society, and we must all strive to uphold the principles of justice and equality for the benefit of all,” Ugiagbe stated, demanding the immediate release of Aigbogun.
He also stressed the need for collaboration among stakeholders, political parties, and security agencies to ensure the safety and rights of all citizens during the governorship election in Edo State.
