The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the state police command of harassing and unlawfully arresting its chieftains ahead of the September 21 governorship poll.
The party also called on the international community, Civil Society Organisations, and other stakeholders to pay attention to the election.
At a press conference on Sunday in Benin, the state capital, the Director General of the Asue Ighodalo/Osarodion Ogie Campaign Management Council, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, said the police had arrested several party members, including Mr Amos Tom and Kingsley Osahon, while others had been pencilled down for arrest with ‘fake’ court warrants.
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“It has become imperative to highlight the disturbing pattern of harassment, unlawful arrest, and kidnap of chieftains of the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party across the three senatorial districts of the state by some policemen suspected to be from the Intelligence Response Team in Abuja who are believed to have been paid huge sums of money by the All Progressives Congress,” Iduoriyekemwen said.
He alleged that the police officers, led by a Chief Superintendent, had been operating outside the scope of their job, wielding AK-47 rifles and other weapons, and moving around the state in Hummer buses and Hilux vans to harass and abduct party chieftains.
However, the Director of Publicity, APC Edo Governorship Campaign Council, Orobosa Omo-Ojo, denied the allegations, saying no one was harassing PDP members.
“The Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State has become a huge embarrassment to itself with its unrelenting media attack on the Nigerian Police and other security agencies in the country,” Omo-Ojo said in a statement.
“PDP has abandoned campaigns to concentrate on mischievous propaganda to cover up their failure to articulate campaign strategy which has become obvious with their dwindling members. Nigerians will recall that the All Progressives Congress in Edo State has been under intense violent attacks from the state-sponsored Edo State Security Network, ESSN, and Public Work Volunteers, PUWOV.”
Omo-Ojo also accused the PDP of planning and executing violent attacks on opposition members, citing the murder of Senator Monday Okpebholo’s security aide
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