Edo guber: Condemnations trail alleged attack on deputy governor

Edo State chapter of Coalition of Registered Political Parties (CRPP) and its People’s Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart in the state have condemned the alleged assassination attempt on the life of the state deputy governor, Pius Odubu.

The CRPP condemned Kassim Afegbua, state commissioner of information and orientation, over his reactions on the attacked on the deputy governor.

BusinessDay reports that Edo State deputy governor, Pius Odubu was last Saturday attacked by unknown gunmen at Etsako West Local Government Area, APC secretariat in Auchi, during a sensitisation visit to the party’s delegates ahead of the forthcoming governorship primaries election in the state.

The deputy governor is one of the frontrunners among the governorship aspirants on the platform of APC to succeed the governor, Adams Oshiomhole, at the end of his tenure on November 12, 2016.

At the incident, eight persons included security personnel attached to the deputy governor were reported to have sustained various degrees of gunshot injuries and current hospitalised at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) and at Auchi.

In a press conference, the campaign organisation of the deputy governor alleged that the attacked was an assassination attempt on the life of the deputy governor with a view to deprive him of contesting the governorship race.

In its reaction, Edo State government described the deputy governor’s assassination attempt as ‘false theory.’

A press release signed and made available to newsmen by Kassim Afegbua, who condemned the ugly incident, however noted that the conclusion of the campaign organisation appeared hasty as preliminary reports suggested that thugs loyal to the deputy governor caused the fracas.
However, reacting to the commissioner’s statement, Samson Isibor, state chairman of CRPP, condemned the reaction of the commissioner that the incident was stage managed as a result of no casualty.

According to Isibor, we also condemn the reaction of the Edo State commissioner of information and orientation for saying that it was stage-managed; his reaction was that why was there no casualty.

“Our answer to him is that, if those eight victims including three security personnel shot were his relatives, will he pray for them to die before he will believe? Edo State police command needs to interrogate him,” he said.

He however appealed to APC members in the state to thread softly on the intra-party squabbles, noting that they should not turn the state that had been peaceful to blood sucking state.

He also advised against imposition of any candidate on the people and that the party should provide a level playing field for all the aspirants lace with free and fair primaries.