By: Nwakaji Peace Martins
The Edo State chapters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were embroiled in a verbal dispute yesterday regarding an alleged attack and shooting incident at the Idia College Centre during the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in Benin City.
In a statement, the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, highlighted the Edo State Government’s concerns about the deliberate efforts by the APC to incite violence and create unrest in the state in an attempt to disrupt the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The state government strongly denounced the recent attack and shooting at Idia College, which resulted in the injury of an innocent student. Such actions were deemed troubling, disheartening, and shameful, representing an inappropriate approach to the opposition’s role that a responsible party should portray.
It is deeply disturbing that a political party would resort to assaulting a CVR center to impede eligible voters from registering to participate in an election they are contesting. The APC’s use of violence and disruption tactics is unacceptable, and security agencies are urged to address these violent behaviors.
Although no lives were lost in the reprehensible act, the state government warned the APC to refrain from dishonorable conduct and embrace democratic principles. The APC should focus on encouraging voter registration and campaigning for their candidate rather than resorting to violent means.
Edo residents were encouraged not to be discouraged by the APC’s desperate actions but to take advantage of the CVR exercise to register for their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) and participate in the upcoming gubernatorial election on September 21 with a commitment to promoting a free, fair, and peaceful electoral process.
In response, the APC dismissed the PDP’s allegations as fabricated and fraudulent. The party questioned how the PDP’s governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, obtained the voter card used on INEC nomination forms since he had recently registered as a voter.
The APC criticized Chris Nehikhare and the PDP for making baseless claims about the attack and shooting at Idia College, noting that no such incident had been reported by officials monitoring the CVR exercise. The party emphasized its commitment to governance focused on uniting, healing, and developing Edo State under the leadership of Senator Monday Okpebholo as governor and Dennis Idahosa as running mate, promising a new era for the state.
