APC, PDP disagree over alleged plan to deploy thugs to rig election

Addressing journalists in Benin, spokesman of the group, Andrew Emwanta, Coordintor of the Midwest Progressives Forum, and Senior Special Assistant to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Public Affairs, alleged that Pastor Ize-Iyamu held a clandestine meeting with a group of political thugs in his private residence with a view to mobilizing them “to collectively move from  polling units to polling unit and from one ward to another and local government to local government” in order to “obtain favourable results for him”.

The group said the secret meeting was allegedly for “a rigging operation code named “operation show your results”.

The CBOs include Midwest Progressive Forum (MPF), Afemai Peace Initiative, Edo Youths United for Justice and Democracy (EYFD) and Niger Delta Professionals Alliance.

Besides, the group alleged that “Oshiomhole is now a clear and present danger to peace and security in Edo State.

“For us in this coalition, these acts sponsored political violence are totally unacceptable. We already have a deadly pandemic that has taken the lives of thousands of Nigerians. As such, we will not allow this new virus of political violence to snatch the lives of innocent Nigerian citizens living in Edo State. There is also a viral video where Oshiomhole was seen inciting some Benin traditional rulers against the governor.

The groups recalled several attacks targeted at high profile personalities at Oshiomhole’s country home at Iyamho during the last convocation ceremony  of Edo University, where youths attacked some guests of the governor including the Oba of Lagos and others in a convoy and the recent bloody attack carried out by rival political thugs loyal to the main political parties of the APC and the PDP outside the entrance gate of Oba Ewuare 11 of Benin Kingdom during the courtesy visit of PDP National leaders and elected govermors visit to the monarch as part of the governorship Campaign Flag-off by the PDP National Campaign Council for the releection of Governor Godwin Obaseki.

But chairman of the Edo APC Media Campaign Council Mr. John Mayaki in reaction yesterday said the People’s Democratic Party, alongside its candidate, has continued the “shameful lamentation typical of their propagandist electoral campaign.

“In a campaign season that has seen the unpopular party fumbling and struggling to provide solid, issue-based campaign and a catalogue of achievements, the PDP has resorted to baseless mudslinging, conspiracy twigging, and dishonorable falsehoods spewed to gain public pity. Unfortunately, while pity may temporarily attract emotional concern, it does not stand the fiery check of facts and logic”.

Such has been the fate of their new pity-seeking propaganda, where Governor Godwin Obaseki, through a Coalition of Community Based Organisations (CBOs), accused Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of gathering political thugs and agberos with instructions to move from unit to unit, ward to ward, local government to local government, with a view of obtaining electoral results for a rigging operation code-named “Operation Show Your Result”, he said.

Mayaki explained that Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s charge to the youths in the meeting Governor Godwin Obaseki and his PDP proxies are sadly twisting in their characteristic mendacity, was simply for them to return to the respective units where they are registered to vote and participate in the complete electoral process including door-to-door mobilization of other young persons to solicit votes and achieve victory as it is the practice in all democracies across the world.

He said “Operation Show Your Result” is a simple political theme for a grassroots mobilization effort no different from the ‘Don’t boo, vote’ message made popular by the Democrats in America to urge youth participation beyond the performative pre-election display of support on campaign grounds”.