The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chastised the Nigeria Police Force on Sunday for allegedly harassing and unlawfully arresting party leaders ahead of the Edo State governorship election on September 21.
The ruling PDP accused the police of colluding with the All Progressives Congress, APC to keep its members out of circulation.
At a press conference, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, Director General of the Asue Ighodalo/Osarodion Ogie Campaign Management Council, stated that the police had arrested Mr. Amos Tom and Kingsley Osahon, among others, while Odion Olaye, Chief Francis Inegbiniki, Chief Olukoga, Festus Osaigbovo, and Kelly Inedegbor had been pencilled in for arrest after obtaining a ‘fake’ court warrant of arrest.
Iduoriyekemwen said, “It has become imperative to highlight the disturbing pattern of harassment, unlawful arrest, and the kidnapping 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.
“These police officers, allegedly led by one CSP, Ibrahim Angbasa, have been operating outside the scope of their job, carrying AK-47 rifles and other weapons and moving around the state in Hummer buses and Hilux vans, to harass and abduct our party chieftains across the state.
“These policemen have since the onset of their sinister operations arrested some of our party members, including Mr. Amos Tom and Hon. Kingsley Osahon, the councillor representing Ward 10 in the Esan North East Local Government Area, along with several others whose whereabouts are currently unknown.”
However, Orobosa Omo-Ojo, Director of Publicity for the APC Edo Governorship Campaign Council, disputed the PDP’s allegation.
Omo-Ojo, in a statement on Sunday, said, “The Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State has become a huge embarrassment to itself with its unrelenting media attack on the Nigeria Police and other security agencies in the country.
“The 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 and the Public Work Volunteers.
“It was these groups that planned and murdered Police Inspector Akor Onuh, the security aide to Senator Monday Okpebholo, in cold blood at the Benin City Airport exit gate.
“Earlier, the Deputy Director General of Asue Ighodalo Campaign Organisation, Rev. Olu Martins, had openly charged some PDP agents to attack members of the opposition in a viral video. The said Martins is now standing criminal trial for his pro-violent conduct.
“Sadly, Governor Godwin Obaseki escalated the violence in the state with his threat that Nigeria will burn if the police go ahead to arrest those that murdered Inspector Akor.
“We call on the leadership of the PDP to cooperate with the law enforcement agencies in the investigation of the various crimes that have been committed by its members.
“Governor Obaseki should summarily disband the Edo State Security Network as a sign of his party’s readiness for a peaceful election.”
