•Monday Okpebholo and Asue Ighodalo
The Edo State Police Command has deployed more men to secure the venue of the Edo State governorship election petition tribunal venue in Benin City, the state capital, following escalating tensions during the first week of hearing at the High Court Complex on Sapele Road.
In an exclusive interview with our correspondent yesterday, the command said it was its responsibility to ensure that there was no breach of peace at the venue of the tribunal sitting, following reported shooting and a clash of supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.
Senator Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress , was declared winner of the Edo State governorship poll last September.
According to the results from the 18 local government areas announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, Okpebholo secured a total of 291,667 votes to overcome his closest rival Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party, who garnered 247,655 votes.
Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party finished third with 22,763 votes.
However, the PDP complained of fraud and vowed to challenge the result in court.
“The way these elections are going, they are probably going to be the worst elections in the history of this country,” PDP candidate Ighodalo said after the poll.
Dissatisfied with the declaration of INEC, the PDP and six other political parties, who also participated in the poll, approached the tribunal to challenge the outcome.
The PDP, in particular, is asking the tribunal to nullify the result and instead, declare its candidate, Ighodalo, the winner of the election.
However, the Centre for Democracy and Development West Africa, which monitored the election, accused both the PDP and APC of vote-buying, adding that election officials had been intimidated in some areas.
The first week of the tribunal’s sitting had witnessed some crises. On Wednesday, a thug with a gun, was captured on video shooting sporadically into the air and shouting, “give us back our mandate” on a street next to the High court.
Again, thugs, for the second time in a row on Thursday, invaded the tribunal sitting venue and were alleged to have attempted to disrupt the tribunal process.
The desperate thugs, it was learnt, tried to force themselves into the venue of the sitting of the Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member tribunal, but were resisted by the security personnel.
On Friday, party supporters clashed with private security personnel who were said to have accompanied a candidate in the September 21 governorship election to the Edo High Court premises where the tribunal is sitting.
However, the spokesman of the Edo State Police Command, SP Moses Yamu, told our correspondent exclusively yesterday that more deployment of its men had been made to provide adequate security at the tribunal venue.
While noting that investigation was on to fish out the gunman, he urged the political parties who have cases in the tribunal to play by the rules.
He said, “It is our responsibility to ensure there’s no breach of peace at the tribunal and adequate deployment have been made in this regard.
“The message remains same. Let the game be played according to the rules.”
Earlier in a statement on January 16, 2025 titled ‘Commissioner of police orders investigation into a viral video of a shooting incident in Edo State’, the state command had ordered an investigation into the shooting incident.
The statement read, “The attention of the Edo State Police Command has been drawn to a viral video of a weapon-bearing young man firing shots in the air and later zooming off in an unmarked white Hilux vehicle to a yet to be identified location in Edo State.
“However, the Command categorically states that, no shooting incident occurred at the High Court on 15/01/2025, during Election Tribunal sitting, as adequate security measures were deployed to ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order.
“Nevertheless, the Commissioner of Police, Umoru Ozigi, has ordered investigation into the incident, with a view to unraveling the identity and location and of the young man in the viral video for prosecution.”
Meanwhile, the Publicity Secretary of the APC, Peter Uwadiae-Igbinigie, accused the Peoples Democratic Party of fueling the crises in and around the tribunal.
He noted that it was wrong for the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo to bring in private security personnel to the court, noting that the police are the ones saddled with that responsibility.
He said, “The best global practice in this kind of situation is that we dont employ non-conventional security officials. The conventional security officials that provide security to courts are the police and DSS. Individuals for any reason and guise cannot come with their personal security.
“What happened on Friday was that Ighodalo came with his private security. They pose a threat to litigants and their witnesses. The private security can attack people.
“We appeal to the IGP and CP that they should deploy adequate man power to the court on Monday to carry out their duties by ensuring that those who have no business being in court are not allowed into the promises so that they dont pose security threat to others.
He also dismissed allegation that his party was fueling crises to ensure the tribunal is taken out of the state.
He added, “It is most unfair that anybody will accuse the APC of fueling crises. It is evidently clear that the security challenges we have had have been instigated by the PDP because they know they do not have a good case.
“We have footages of what happened in and around the court and the footages are out there to show that PDP supporters are the ones carrying out these activities. A PDP supporter was seen shooting into the air on Wednesday in a viral video.
“I want to appeal to Edo people to appreciate the fact that we cannot be in government and trying to cause trouble. The PDP are the ones who do not like things to be done the right way and this is not good for our democracy.
The PDP Publicity Secretary, Chris Nehikhare, said APC was trying to distract the tribunal, his party and Edo people from following the case and no the truth.
He said, “For the tribunal, we are happy that the procedure is being followed and we are glad that our 1004 evidence has been accepted as exhibit and when they are all looked into, it is clear that we have a good case.
“But we are disappointed that the supposed winner of the election, APC, is trying to distract the tribunal, the PDP and Edo people. They dressed one of their supporters like ours, who was shooting sporadically last Wednesday.
“The APC has taken over our secretariat and it seems the police are not acting as we have heard that the APC have vowed not to vacate the premises.
“The private security personnel were there to protect our candidate and his lawyers. They do not have any business with the court ot APC thugs who have been a nuisance to the system. They are trying to ensure that the private security personnel do not come again so that they will harras, embarrass or even kill our candidate.
“The police are acting like APC accomplices in this issues by giving APC thugs the backing to remove local government chairmen and their deputies and to take over our secretariat. So, we dont have confidence in them protecting our lawyers and candidate so we engaged the services of private security personnel.”
The Public Relations officer of the state Labour Party, Sam Uruopa, has called for caution while noting that the crises being witnessed is detrimental to the growth of democracy in the country.
He said, “The crisis portends great danger for democracy. The two leading parties at the tribunal are taking it like war. The way they encourage as supporters to go to the tribunal with weapons and not waiting for the outcome of the tribunal is dangerous.
“I will call on the parties to talk to their supporters to allow the court process to go smoothly they are distracting and threatening the tribunal and people who are going about their lawful activities.”
