Tony Osauzo, Benin
The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday, alleged that armed thugs mobilized by the Deputy Governor of the state, Mr. Philip Shaibu, occupied the venue of its  rally in Jattu, Edo North Senatorial District and scared away residents and other supporters of the APC with gunshots. 
It claimed that the convoy of the armed thugs was personally led by Mr. Philip Shaibu from Jattu junction to the venue of the APC rally, with the thugs shooting recklessly and causing terror‎ ami chanting of war songs and insistence on preventing the APC rally from holding.
The party in a statement by issued by the Chairman of its Media Campaign Council, Mr. John Mayaki, said some residents  fled the area for safety as some of the thugs poured on the streets to allegedly seek out leaders of the APC to attack, accusing the deputy governor of masterminding attck and invasion.
The statement furthe alleged that  the thugs have since been hired and lodged in hotels by Mr. Philip Shaibu who preceded the carefully-planned attack on its party and leaders with a false petition to the Police to deflect attention from himself and blame the violence on others.
“The PDP has continued its attack on our campaign with armed thugs, militias, and other groups. Yesterday in Owan East, thugs invaded all three venues of our campaign events, breaking chairs, and destroying facilities in the area.
“These thugs were driven to the event venues under heavy protection supplied by the Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, who is the mastermind of the recent attacks.
“Today in Jattu, he has charged the thugs to ensure that no APC rally takes place because the sheer number of residents who are planning to attend will expose his rejection to the whole world and advertise his defenestration as a good-for-nothing liability on the PDP ticket.
“From the start, his inclusion on the ticket was an afterthought as Obaseki was willing and ready to sell him out in his negotiations with the PDP. He had to force himself in and he continues to face internal resistance from members of the party over control of their stolen loot designated for the campaign.
“The shootings and violence ongoing in Jattu are happening at the behest of Mr. Philip Shaibu for the singular reason of repressing the voices of the same people he pretends to represent in government.
“We are also aware of the three hotels fully booked in Okpella where he is lodging another retinue of armed thugs to continue their attack on our campaign.
“We have called the Commissioner of Police and will follow that with a petition to the IGP for the investigation of Philip Shaibu’s activities in Edo North, especially his convoy which has now become nothing but an official transport service of thugs and illegal arms for violent attacks”, the APC said.
But in a swift reaction,‎ the Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, said “The latest cry of the APC is akin to the cry of a drowning man holding on to the last straw”.
Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, Musa Ebomhiana who spoke for him, debunked the claim of the APC that he (Shaibu) masterminded the attacks on its campaign venue in Owan‎ East on Tuesday, stressing that it was impossible for the Deputy Governor who was campigning in Ovia North East on the day in question to also be at Owan East at the same time.
“The APC has stored so much arms‎ in the system, they are now turning the arms against themselves.
“In Ikhin, Owan East, APC gave N500,000 to‎ the youths to go and share in Afuze after their campaign on the 14th of August, they disagreed and in the process, Ibira youths they bought killed two Afuze youths. The Afuze youths in retaliation, mobilized to Ibira camp in the area and killed three Ibira youths, bringing the total killings to five.
“They know that this battle has been fought and won in the spiritual realm. We are only waiting for the manifestation in the physical on the 19th September”, Shaibu said.