Several people, including a pregnant woman and a seven-month-old baby have sustained various injuries as thugs attack All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters in Ward II, Uhunmora in Edo state.
The attack, allegedly carried out by supporters of Edo State House of Assembly Speaker Blessing Agbebaku and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), targeted members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ward II, Uhunmora.
The victims claimed that the attackers were backed by security personnel allegedly from Agbebaku’s residence. The incident reportedly took place on Saturday.
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Agbebaku dismissed the allegations as part of electioneering shenanigans, describing the incident as merely a “beer parlour brawl.” Meanwhile, the APC in Edo State, outraged by the event, called for the immediate arrest of the Speaker.
On Monday, Ogunlowo Collins, the amputee chairman of the APC in the ward, narrated the incident.
He reported that the shop of David Iruedo, the ward’s APC Secretary, was attacked and destroyed, with injuries inflicted on him and others because he refused to defect from the APC.
At the early hours of Monday, an unprovoked attack had occurred when one Odion Kelvin removed the cap of an APC woman and set it on fire.
According to Ogunlowo, the attackers later returned in the evening, targeting Iruedo’s shop.
Allegedly coming from the Speaker’s house and accompanied by security personnel, the attackers used dangerous weapons, including machetes and clubs with nails, while threatening to kill all APC members in the area.
They also reportedly broke into Iruedo’s store, beating him severely before he was rescued and taken to the hospital.
The APC, in a statement on Monday evening, demanded the Speaker’s arrest and prosecution for electoral violence.
The statement, endorsed by the party’s Acting State Chairman, Emperor Jarrett Tenebe, claimed that the incident occurred a week after the party raised alarms about plans to disrupt the election, allegedly involving Agbebaku.
Responding to the allegations, Speaker Agbebaku denied any involvement, labeling the incident as a personal brawl unrelated to the election.
He further accused the APC of plotting to arrest him and take him to Abuja before the election due to their lack of electoral prospects.
Despite these claims, Agbebaku reiterated his commitment to peaceful campaigns for the development of the Owan Nation.
NIGERIAN TRIBUNE