Olusegun Ariyo
Barely 25 days to the September 21, 2024 governorship election in Edo State, the All Progressives Congress, APC, campaign council and the state government have again accused each other of plans to rig the election.
DAILY POST reports that while the APC governorship campaign council accused the state government of planning to use the State Security Network, otherwise known as ESSN to rig the election, the State government, on the other hand, alleged that the former was relying on “Federal might” to win the gubernatorial poll.
A statement by Prince Kassim Afegbua, the Director of Media, Edo APC campaign council, titled, “Governor Obaseki plotting to rig Edo election” alleged that the state government has started producing Police and Military uniforms for members of the state security network to wear on the election day.
He said the uniforms were to enable the members of the security network disguise themselves as real police officers and military personnel to assist the government in carrying out their electoral fraud assignment.
He alleged, “We, of the Edo State APC Campaign Council, are hereby alerting the public, Edo electorates, and all others concerned, of the clandestine and surreptitious moves by the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, to rig the forthcoming Edo Gubernatorial election using his illegal Edo Security Network as a gambit.
“We have been inundated with calls from well-meaning Edo electorates of his game plan to use threat, intimidation and harassment to disenfranchise Edo electorates from exercising their right at the elections.
“We had decried before, the State Government’s activities apropos of arms procurement. The Edo State government has been recruiting even more hands into their illegal Edo Security Network, with the sole motive of empowering them for the underhand assignment of rigging the election by intimidation.
“We are aware that the State Government has now started producing Police Uniforms and Military Uniforms which the members of the Edo Security Network will be made to wear on the said day of the election, to disguise as real police officers and military personnel; to assist them in carrying out their pernicious assignment.
“Some citizens with moral rectitude, who were invited for a briefing at the Government House on Monday, raised concerns about this plot and turned down the job offer.
“The State Government is still arranging to procure more guns and other ammunition for them for the D-Day of the election”, he alleged.
The APC governorship campaign spokesman, who condemned the alleged arming of youths by the state government in the name of election, however, appealed to the Military authority as well as the Nigeria Police to immediately rescue the people of the state.
Reacting to the allegations, the state government described it as falsehood and laughable.
Crusoe Osagie, Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Media Projects, who reacted on behalf of the state government alleged that the APC was afraid of defeat, hence the allegations.
Osagie in his statement, titled, “Edo 2024: APC afraid of defeat, cooked up lies to veil their plan to rig gubernatorial polls alleged that the allegations were another failed attempt by the opposition party to mislead the electorate.
According to him, pray tell, who has been boasting of federal might since the start of the campaigns, harassing and intimidating innocent citizens of the State and members of the opposition?
“It is rather laughable and interesting that the very thing the APC is already doing is what they are claiming that other persons are doing.
“Does anyone need answers to why the APC in Edo State has been relentless in their campaign of calumny against the State’s Security and Vigilante Network in the run-up to the gubernatorial elections and why they want to by all means discredit and disable the intelligence gathering scheme, which security agencies in the State have confirmed their role in combating crime and criminality, especially in the grassroots?
*This tactic of accusing others of their own devious plot is a strategy that the APC is well known for, and the people of Edo State are too wise to be fooled by vain subterfuge.
“We call on the police, the military, and other security agencies to please have all hands on deck to ensure a level playing field, guaranteeing a free, fair, and credible election in Edo State”, he added.
He, however, urged all Edo citizens to remain calm and come out en masse on September 21 to vote without fear of intimidation, harassment or violence.
