Ismail Abdulazeez Mantu Reporting
The Edo State Government has exposed an alleged plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to infiltrate the #EndBadGovernance protests with the intent to wreak havoc on key public infrastructure in Benin City, the state capital.
The Government through the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media Project, Crusoe Osagie, revealed this in a statement that security agencies have been alerted to the APC’s devious plans.
According to the statement, APC chieftains are orchestrating a scheme to use the protests as a cover for their agenda of vandalism and chaos, targeting significant state assets such as the Secretariat Complex, Benin Shopping Mall, Edo Production Centre, and Ossiomo Power Company.
It emphasized, “Our findings indicate that these plans are being perfected by APC chieftains who aim to exploit the protests to advance their obnoxious political pursuits by destroying government buildings and causing mayhem. The objective is to blame the protesters for the damage, thereby allowing the real culprits to evade accountability.”
The statement further disclosed that members of a secret cult have been recruited to lead the attacks, with a prominent APC leader orchestrating the mobilization. Osagie suggested that the APC’s resort to such tactics stems from their candidate’s lack of suitability for the governor’s office, describing him as lacking the necessary comportment, finesse, and intellectual maturity.
“The APC candidate has consistently demonstrated a poor grasp of basic concepts, prompting his handlers to shield him from public scrutiny. This has led the party to adopt violence and subterfuge as their strategy to forcibly seize control of the government,” Osagie added.
In light of these revelations, the Government called on all security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Brigade Commander, 4 Brigade, Benin, to act swiftly to prevent the planned destruction and ensure the safety of public facilities. It stressed that these infrastructures are vital for governance and the state’s progress, benefiting all Edo State residents, not just members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“We urge the security agencies to secure these facilities and monitor APC chieftains closely during the protests to intercept any attempts to instigate chaos. This is in the best interest of the good people of Edo State,” statement concluded.