APC, PDP bicker over political violence in Edo

• BNC cautions against mobilising militants for Sept 19
• Death of UNIBEN don avoidable, says ASUU

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council in Edo State has condemned Saturday’s attack on Governor Godwin Obaseki’s entourage at the Oba of Benin’s palace. Addressing journalists in Benin City yesterday, chairman of the campaign council, Chief Dan Orbih, said, “The attack was a plot to eliminate Governor Godwin Obaseki, national officials of PDP and some PDP governors in attendance.”

He added that the attackers’ aim was to drive fear into Obaseki and the people, so that they would not come out to vote. But the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo countered that the skirmish was a plot by Governor Obaseki to arrest and detain its members ahead of the September 19 election governorship election in the state.

The Vice Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee of the APC National Campaign Council, Patrick Obahiagbon, during a press conference in Benin City, alleged, among others, that the state government had hatched a plan to detain former Governor Adams Oshiomhole on trumped up charges on the eve of the election.

FOLLOWING the palace brouhaha, the Benin National Congress (BNC) has advised politicians against mobilising former Niger Delta militants in the political power-play ahead of September 19 ballot.

The socio-cultural group urged political actors to rather concern themselves with “intellectual and somewhat mundane interrogation of issues, as well as articulation of governance manifesto.”

President of BNC, Mr. Aiyamenkhue Edokpolo, stated that one of such ploys was “to mobilise ex-agitators to protest against the business outfits of Edo-born philanthropist, Capt. Hosa Okunbor, around the East-West road.”

According to Edokpolo, the businessman has the inalienable right to associate or support any gubernatorial candidate in the election.“We, therefore, urge all those seeking to undermine Okunbo’s business outfits to heed divine counsel and desist forthwith, to avoid retributive justice of Benin ancestors.”

MEANWHILE, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Benin (UNIBEN) chapter, has accused the police authorities of unprofessionalism, expressing sadness that the accident that claimed the life of a don at the main gate of the institution’s Ugbowo campus was avoidable.

Chairman of ASUU, UNIBEN chapter, Prof. Monday Omoregie, and Secretary, Dr. Fabian Amaechina, who accused the police authorities of unprofessional conduct, blamed the accident that claimed the life of Dr. Stella Okotie along the Benin-Lagos express way on police misconduct at the check-point.

Describing the incident as a confirmation of the recklessness of police officers across various checkpoints in the country, Omoregie said the death would have been avoided if police officers had professional training on stop-and-search duties at checkpoints.