Stop harassing us, go after gun-wielding thugs, Edo PDP

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Again, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has accused the Nigeria Police Force of continuous harassment and arrest of its members following the July 18th, 2024, breakdown of law in Benin.

Recall that the state PDP Governorship Campaign Council, in a press conference on July 31, 2024, flayed the police for allegedly intimidating and harassing members of the party ahead of the September 21 poll in Edo.

According to the Director General of Campaign Council, Hon. Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, some operatives in the police incongruence with the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo allegedly deployed, according to him, odd tactics to destabilise and cause chaos in Edo.

He further alleged that the state APC Chairman, Emperor Jarrett Tenebe, orchestrated a trump-up petition to cause the police to arrest the Chairman of Esan North-East Local Government Council, Hon. Kelly Ilenedagbor.

Iduoriyekemwen claimed, amongst others, that the police demonstrated bias in the Benin Airport shootings on July 18th, which claimed the life of police orderly to APC governorship candidate and Senator representing Edo Central Senatorial District, Senator Monday Okpebholo.

However, on Wednesday in Benin, the Deputy Director General for Media and Publicity of the Asue/Ogie Campaign Management Council, Rev. Olu Martins, through a press statement, said that rather than arresting the culprits of the September 21 incident, the police are hounding and harassing members of the party in the state, despite no evidence showing they were at the scene of the incident.

According to Martins, “For the past couple of weeks, some members of the tactical unit of the Nigeria Police Force have been moving the state in three Hummer buses and a Hilux van, threatening and harassing Edo PDP chieftains while leaving those who were photographed in that mayhem walk free.

“This is totally condemnable and unacceptable and reinforces the concerns of many political actors in the state that the police have become an extension of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“The situation has further heightened tensions and created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, which poses a serious threat to the forthcoming September 21 governorship election in the state.”.

Olu Martins further stated, “We would like to stress that the role of the police is to impartially uphold the law and ensure the safety and security of all citizens, regardless of their political affiliations.

“It is deeply troubling that those who are supposed to ensure public peace and that everyone has equal and unhindered access to justice have become tools in the hands of desperate politicians who are hell-bent on stirring crisis and chaos in the state in pursuit of their selfishness.

“We call upon the Inspector General of Police to call his men in order to prevent a descent into anarchy in the state.

“They must read the mood of the nation and know that there is anger and angst in the land, and the poor handling of any matter, especially in the buildup to the forthcoming Edo Governorship Election slated for September 21, may just be the ignition for a conflagration that may well be avoided.”

While urging the police to ensure that those responsible for the July 18 violence and breakdown of law in the state are held accountable, the PDP charged the police not to allow themselves to be used as tools to unjustly hound and harass political opponents.

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