BENIN CITY: Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The Edo state government has again, accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of planning to cause violent protests in the state instead of campaigning and telling the electorate of what they can offer.
The government also took a swipe at the leader of the APC in the state, Sen. Adams Oshiomole who it alleged of “spewing” inaccuracies on national television.
Addressing a press conference, the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, flanked by Governor Godwin Obaseki’s Special Adviser on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie called on security agencies to keep a watch on the APC over the alleged violent protest and challenged the party’s governorship candidate, Sen Monday Okpebholo to a public debate in any language of his choice.
According to Nehikhare, “The APC is resorting to this devious plan because they have realized the folly of presenting an unlettered and incompetent candidate for the office of a governor.
“Reeling from the pains of selling a bad and unmarketable candidate and having failed in their desperate resort to lies and propaganda to hoodwink Edo people ahead of the September 21 governorship election, the only path the APC in Edo State now sees to promote their campaigns is to cause chaos and crisis in the State.
“While we call the attention of all security agencies in the State, including the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the Department of State Services (DSS), the Brigade Commander, 4 Brigade, Benin, among others, to take notice of this heinous plan by the APC to orchestrate civil unrest and cause mayhem in the State, we assure members of the public to be rest assured that the government will spare no effort within the ambits of the law to forestall this planned attack on the State and its people and ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice.”
On Oshiomhole, Nehikhare said “We beg the APC and its candidate to tell Edo people what they want to do and to also advise Sen Oshiomhole to instead of going from TV station to TV station, let him give one of the slots to Okpebholo to speak.
“He is not contesting for governor, we admit it, he is the leader of the opposition, he is the leader of the APC heading a small section of the state, a third of the state as the senator representing Edo North.
“He is no longer a governorship candidate, he is no longer a governor, he should tell his candidate to come out and speak not him.
“We used to think he is a statesman but today he was an embarrassment to all of us.
“When we watched him on national television speaking inaccuracies, the APC has nothing to say, they have nothing to sell, their candidate has nothing to say, certainly he cannot talk.”