The All Progressives Congress Campaign Council in Edo State claimed on Tuesday that Governor Godwin Obaseki was providing military uniforms to members of the Edo State Security Network to potentially manipulate the September 21 governorship election in the state.
Responding promptly, the governor’s media aide, Crusoe Osagie, dismissed the accusation as baseless and characterized it as a mix of falsehoods.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Director of the APC Media Council, Kassim Afegbua, declared, “We have been receiving numerous calls from concerned Edo citizens who are worried about his intention to manipulate the election through intimidation and coercion.”
“We have previously expressed concerns about the government’s procurement of arms,” Afegbua added.
“The Edo State Government is increasing its recruitment into the unlawful Edo Security Network with the aim of using them to tamper with the election through intimidation.”
“We are aware that the state government is now manufacturing police and military uniforms for the Edo Security Network members to wear during the election day, pretending to be genuine law enforcement officers to aid them in their malicious scheming.”
“Some morally upright citizens, who were invited for a briefing at the Government House on Monday, raised objections to this plan and declined the job offer. The government is also working on acquiring more firearms and ammunition for them for the election day,” the statement continued.
“By this statement, we urge the military and the Nigeria Police, particularly the Inspector General of Police, to intervene in Edo State promptly. We beseech these authorities to investigate these grave accusations and take appropriate actions to prevent chaos in Edo State.”
In response, Governor Obaseki’s Special Adviser on Media Project, Crusoe Osagie, stated, “The unfounded remarks by the Media Consultant to Edo All Progressives Congress Governorship Campaign Council, Kassim Afegbua, alleging plans to rig the September 21 governorship election, should be ignored as a collection of fabrications.”
Osagie further remarked, “This tirade is just another futile effort to deceive the public and divert attention from their sinister plot to rig the election, as they have acknowledged their waning popularity and inability to win in a fair contest.”
“Who has been boasting about federal influence since the commencement of campaigns, intimidating innocent citizens and opposition members? It is quite hilarious and ironic that the very actions the APC is engaged in, are the ones they are accusing others of,” Osagie added.
“Is there a need to question why the APC in Edo State has been unrelenting in its smear campaign against the State’s Security and Vigilante Network ahead of the elections, and why they are determined to discredit and dismantle the intelligence gathering system that security agencies have acknowledged for their role in combating crime and criminal activities, particularly at the grassroots?”
“They are anxious about their imminent defeat post their endorsement of an unqualified candidate for the governorship position and have now turned to deceitful tactics to thwart the will of the people of Edo,” he expressed.
“We call on the authorities to closely monitor Afegbua and the APC because their allegations against others mirror the tactics they plan to employ themselves. This strategy of blaming others for their corrupt scheme is a familiar tactic of the APC, but the people of Edo are too astute to be deceived by empty deceit.”
“We implore the police, military, and other security agencies to be vigilant and ensure a fair, transparent, and credible election in Edo State,” Osagie concluded.