Edo election violence, endless Fubara-Wike feud, other top stories from South-south

PDP seeks police coverage over alleged attacks on members

The week under review began with claims and counterclaims from the two major political parties – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) – in Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State.

The ruling PDP in the state began the week by seeking the intervention of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over alleged attacks on its members.

The party’s national spokesperson, Debo Ologunagba, during a press briefing in Abuja last Monday, alleged that members of the party and innocent citizens in Edo State were being attacked, harassed and illegally arrested, describing the action as a desperate bid to scare people from coming out for the election.

A day after the PDP’s allegation, Nemi Edwin-Iwo, the police commissioner in Edo State, confirmed the arrest of Collins Aigbogun, the chairperson of Esan West Local Government Area in the state, over allegations of violence. The police moved Mr Aigbogun to Abuja hours after he was arrested.

Also in Edo State, Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate in the 2023 presidential election, canvassed support on Tuesday for the party’s governorship candidate in the state, Olumide Akpata.

Mr Obi urged voters to cast ballots for Mr Akpata and promised that if the party wins the election, it will reduce the economic hardship in the state.

The following day, the Court of Appeal in Abuja affirmed Mr Akpata as the Labour Party’s governorship candidate, ending months of litigation. The appellate court held that besides the case being premature, the appellant failed to tender the results of the disputed primary election, which he claimed to have won.

Obaseki predicts ‘very violent’ election

Nigeria’s police chief, Mr Egbetokun, took further steps last Wednesday to beef up security in Edo State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election. He deployed 35,000 operatives and said 8,000 personnel from other security agencies had also been deployed for the election. He also announced the indefinite suspension of the state government-funded Edo State Security Network.

Meanwhile, Governor Godwin Obaseki has predicted that Saturday’s governorship election in the state will be “very violent.”

Mr Obaseki stated this in a meeting with members of the National Peace Committee led by former Nigerian leader Abdulsalami Abubakar, the committee’s chairperson.

Members of the committee were in the state to ensure that political parties and their candidates signed a pact committing them to a peaceful election.

Mr Obaseki told Mr Abubakar that “armed gangs police officers” from the inspector general’s office invaded the state, arrested PDP members, and took them to Abuja. He accused the police of bias. He said the incident took place after the inspector general of police obtained a court warrant to arrest 60 PDP members, a development he said forced the party’s leaders to go into hiding to evade arrest.

Mr Obaseki, the PDP leader in the state, said the PDP would not sign the peace accord unless the party members arrested and taken to Abuja were brought back to Edo State and charged to court.

The following day, the PDP made good its promise; it declined to sign the peace accord but, however, promised to go to Abuja and sign it if their conditions were met.

The APC and other parties, including the Labour Party and All Progressive Grand Alliance, signed the peace accord.

Speaking at the peace accord signing ceremony, Mr Egbetokun promised that the security operatives would be impartial and professional during the election.

Still, regarding the allegation of bias, the PDP National Chairperson, Umar Damagum, demanded the redeployment of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Edo State, Anugbum Onuoha, and the commissioner of police in the state, Mr Edwin-Iwo, within the week.

The PDP said that Mr Edwin-Iwo was involved in the arrest and movement of its members to Abuja. The party also claimed that Mr Onuoha is Nyesom Wike’s relative.

Mr Wike, the FCT minister and former governor of Rivers State, is a PDP member who has built a political alliance with the APC-led federal government.

The Edo PDP chapter chairperson, Anthony Aziegbemi also corroborated bias allegations against the police and the REC as being an “associate” of Mr Wike.

Wike speaks on relations with Edo INEC REC

Mr Wike, in a television interview, acknowledged that Edo State REC is his “cousin” but said even the INEC chairperson cannot influence the REC’s decision.

Mr Wike, during the interview, vowed never to support Governor Siminalayi Fubara again in his life, accusing him of abandoning the people and destroying the political structure that brought him to office.

Governor rewards youths for shunning protest

Within the week, we reported that Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State unveiled plans to empower 100,000 youths in the state as a reward for shunning the #EndBadGovernance protest in the country held from August 1 to 10.

READ ALSO:Benin chiefs resort to traditional rites to ‘ward off evil’ during Edo election

At an “appreciation rally” in Uyo, the state capital, Mr Eno directed the Ministry of Labour to create a digital portal for selection of beneficiaries, and added that the state government would keep filtering required qualifications from the portal for recruitment into the civil service.

Also within the week, a new police commissioner, Miller Dantawaye was appointed for the state. Mr Dantawaye replaced the former commissioner, Waheed Ayilara, who died late last month hours after undergoing prostate cancer surgery.