Edo Guber: There’ll be war if APC… — Obaseki declares

The Edo State government has condemned attempts by the oppo­sition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to negatively spin comments made by Gover­nor Godwin Obaseki, where he warned that if the APC does not allow for a free and fair election in the state, it will be a recipe for crisis in Nigeria.

In a statement, the Commis­sioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, who clarified the view expressed by the governor during a recent political meeting in the state, ac­cused the opposition party of try­ing to exploit the instrument of violence to influence the outcome of the September 21 governorship election in the state.

Nehikhare said the governor spoke at a stakeholders meeting, on Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Benin City, the Edo State capital, and warned that “if a free and fair election is not allowed to hold sway in Edo State on September 21, 2024, it will trigger a major cri­sis in Nigeria.”

The commissioner said: “The attention of the Edo State govern­ment has been drawn to the nega­tive spin that the opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is fruitlessly attempting to put to the comments made by His Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki, at a stakeholders meet­ing, on Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

“For the records, we want to restate the comments of the gov­ernor on that occasion which is that: “If a free and fair election is not allowed to hold sway in Edo State on September 21, 2024, it will trigger a major crisis in Nigeria.

“Recall that on Thursday, July 18, 2024, ahead of the rally to inaugurate the APC National Campaign Council, in Benin City, which was held on Saturday, July 20, 2024, the party assembled a large number of people believed to be thugs, most of them bearing firearms around the precincts of the Benin airport, on Airport Road, Benin City, to cause may­hem in the state, resulting in the unfortunate death of a police officer, Inspector Akor Onuh, at­tached to MOPOL 45 Abuja and the wanton destruction of prop­erties and injuries to several citi­zens who were going about their lawful businesses.”

He added, “The mob then moved around the city, attacking other institutions, including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) secretariat, inflicting violence and terror on the lawyers in their secre­tariat, with one of the lawyers, Mr. Israel Idahosa, being severely in­jured and his property destroyed.

“They also intimidated and harassed private citizens who were putting on any material that had the insignia of the ruling Peo­ples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, within the Benin metropolis.

“As they say, the morning shows the day and the APC has clearly shown their plan for the September 21 governorship elec­tion in the state, which is to cause mayhem, make the state ungov­ernable, and take advantage of the chaos to manipulate the forth­coming governorship election.”

Nehikhare noted, “We howev­er want to advise the APC to, for once, read the mood of the nation and understand that with the cur­rent hardship, unattainable cost of living, and pervasive hunger in the country, a slightly irrespon­sible behaviour by the political class can ignite a crisis that will have a domino effect and cause a conflagration across the nation.

“This note of caution is even more appropriate with the omi­nous threat of a nationwide pro­test with the potential to degener­ate into a widespread breakdown of law and order.”

He urged residents in the state to go about their activities lawful­ly, noting, “While we urge all Edo people to go about their lawful businesses without fear, we call on the Nigeria police to do their job and apprehend the hoodlums, most of whom have been posi­tively identified and captured in videos, carrying firearms at the location of the crisis.

“The Edo State government, through its robust security video surveillance, is ready to supply these videos taken in real-time to help the police in their inves­tigation.”