Edo guber: Lack of free, fair election will trigger national crisis – Obaseki warns

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has warned of a national crisis if the All Progressives Congress, APC, fails to ensure a free and fair election in the September governorship poll in the state.

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Obaseki issued the warning during a stakeholders’ meeting in Benin City and was disclosed by the state’s Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare.

Nehikhare condemned what he called attempts by the APC to negatively spin Obaseki’s comments.

He accused APC of trying to exploit the instrument of violence to influence the outcome of the forthcoming election.

According to him: “The attention of the Edo State Government has been drawn to the negative spin that the opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is fruitlessly attempting to put to the comments made by His Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki, at a stakeholders meeting, on Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

“For the record, we want to restate the comments of the governor on that occasion which is that: ‘if a free and fair election is not allowed to hold sway in Edo State on September 21, 2024, it will trigger a major crisis in Nigeria’.

“Recall that on Thursday, July 18, 2024, ahead of the rally to inaugurate the APC National Campaign Council, in Benin City, which was held on Saturday, July 20, 2024, the party assembled a large number of people around the precincts of the Benin Airport, on Airport Road, Benin City, resulting in the unfortunate death of a police officer, Inspector Akor Onuh attached to MOPOL 45 Abuja and the wanton destruction of properties and injuries to several citizens who were going about their lawful businesses.

“The mob then moved around the city, attacking other institutions, including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) secretariat, inflicting violence and terror on the lawyers in their secretariat, with one of the lawyers, Mr. Israel Idahosa, being severely injured and his property destroyed.”