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… INEC warns of likely consequences
… Edolites nurse fears of bloodshed
By Emman Ovuakporie
Barely four weeks from now the Edo guber race will take place, but the signals emanating from the heartbeat of the nation are heart trembling.
TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) Africa’s number one news portal reports the allegations and counter allegations of arms stockpiling by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC clearly indicate that the election maybe soaked in blood.
This is just as the guber candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu preaches the gospel of non-violence and politics without bitterness.
Apparently overwhelmed by the reports of the drums of war echoing in Edo State, Pastor Ize-Iyamu doused all tensions by declaring that:
“The worst I will do is to go to court if I lose at the polls but going into violence is not in my character.
The RCCG Pastor made this declaration in a media parley last Thursday when he was asked whether as a man of God his political interests will not clash with his calling.
Hear Him:” I am a pastor of RCCG and there’s no way I will lose my calling because of politics because if good people don’t involve themselves who else,” he wondered.
Ize-Iyamu further exemplified this by sending a letter of empathy to PDP when their vehicle was involved in an auto crash in Edo North.
Allegations and counter allegations on arms acquisition by both major parties:
Chief Tony Momoh, an APC chieftain, a lawyer and a veteran journalist had raised alarm last week that there will be blood shed in the heartbeat if care is not taken in the scheduled September 19 guber polls.
The former minister in an interview he granted said it’s going to be battle royale as the APC is heavily factionalized due to the movement of Governor Obaseki to PDP.
Now, at the national level, we “have APC showed their strength recently, which is very encouraging; our governors were there, our parliamentarians were there, our leaders were there and others. I hope that one is monetised; in other words, they need to support for campaigns in the state, because when support is sure, there is nothing PDP will do in Edo. In the South-South, it is all PDP; it is only in that zone that we don’t have APC now, as we have lost Edo to PDP. Now, the PDP governors in South-South are the biggest earners from the federation account; they are heavy earners and heavy spenders, they are not going to lose Edo by not participating in ensuring that they win. They will lose the election if Edo voters insist that they want APC to continue to rule that state and ignore the use of money. When it comes to monetizing election, this Edo election will be heavily monetised, and it is not only the governors in the South-South that will be pumping their resources into Edo State, the PDP governors all over the country will ensure that they control the state. So, it is battle royal.
What happened last week has taken another dimension and the battle line is drawn, and I’m afraid that there will be more violence than anticipated. So, all the security agencies have to sit down and put everything they have into Edo to make sure that there is free and fair election.
The deputy Governor of Edo State, Hon Phillip Shaibu too had threatened that if care is not taken Edo State may emerge as the centre of revolution in Nigeria.
He alleged that as former APC Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole’s son he had privilege Information on arms acquisition by his father (Oshiomhole).
In all these, the police has not been able to probe the alleged acquisition of arms in the state.
Explaining the state of security in the state, Ize-Iyamu alleged that those caught so far with arms are thugs of his opponents in the state.
“He said the police is in a better position to announce those who were actually caught with arms.
The apex electoral body in Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC apparently sensing the danger ahead had warned that the election could be suspended.
In a statement issued on Friday the electoral body also warrned that if the drums of war continues to echo, the Emergency Rule could be imposed on the state.
Edolites too are already scared of what may transpire on the day of election as the noise of alleged blood shed and violence rents the air in the heartbeat of the nation.