By Valentine Amanze
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its flagbearer in the forthcoming governorship election, Governor Godwin Obaseki, of using the “Obaseki Boys” and state apparatus to harass the State House of Assembly and APC members in the state
ahead of the election in the state.
The party also alleged that Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, as head of the PDP campaign council, was threatening violence, while advising them to emulate President Muhammadu Buhari, whom it said, had opportunities but refused to rig elections in 2019.
The APC made the allegations in the statement by Yekini Nabena, its
deputy national publicity secretary.
According to the party, “While we understand the panic and distress in the camp of the PDP and Governor Obaseki following the massive and widespread support given by the Edo electorate to the APC governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the APC invites the PDP to join us in issue-based campaigns and at least attempt to sell to the Edo electorate the merit of their candidate, if any.”
The party pointed out that its people-focused development records across the country formed the basis of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s six-point ‘‘SIMPLE agenda’’ for the people of Edo State, which stands for Security, Infrastructural development, Manpower development, Public Private Partnership, Leadership and Employment creation.
It therefore appealed to partisans, particularly the PDP, to purge themselves of their agelong undemocratic habits of election rigging, vote buying, violence, abuse of state institutions for political ends and address themselves to new realities that under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration, power now belongs to the people and during elections, votes count.
Besides, the APC appealed to the Edo people: “We must all support the independence of our state institutions to deepen our democracy and improve our electioneering system.”
