Edo election: APC thugs target PDP supporters after BVAS inspection at INEC office
A court-mandated inspection of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines from the recently concluded Edo State governorship election took a violent turn as supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) attacked People’s Democratic Party (PDP) members after the exercise at the INEC office in Benin City.
The violence, which has been happening for several days, has sparked widespread concern about the safety of PDP supporters in the state.
Comrade Bayode Choice, a popular social media influencer and President of the Edo State Social Media Force was caught in the cross fire.
Known for his advocacy for democracy and transparency, Comrade Choice was attacked at the INEC office during the BVAS inspection.
He told journalists: “I could see that the level of intimidation was high, and it could have led to killings.
“I had to go home. There were no PDP supporters or party leaders present to stand against these thugs. It was dangerous.”
He added that as he attempted to leave the scene, through a taxi, a mob of APC thugs, recognizing him as a prominent PDP media correspondent, accused him of recording their violent actions.
He said the thugs, armed with various weapons, began shouting, “This man na PDP media correspondent, he came here to capture and record us.”
Fearing for his life, Comrade Choice ran to a nearby fuel station behind the INEC office, where he sought refuge.
According to him, security personnel, including police officers and soldiers stationed at the fuel station, intervened to prevent the situation from escalating further.
“If not for the swift intervention of the security agencies and the management of Con Oil, the story could have been very different. I thank God Almighty for saving my life,” Comrade Choice recounted.
Comrade Choice further stated: “If the governor does not take drastic action to end this menace, there may be no hope for recovering the stolen mandate.
“We cannot remain silent. We’ve seen this kind of violence before, back in 2015, Tony Kabaka and his boys nearly stabbed PDP youths to death at the tribunal premises. We cannot allow history to repeat itself.”
“I urge the governor of Edo state to take action that will put an end to this unnecessary delay by the APC thugs to frustrate our petition on a ground of lacking of merit.
“I’m so surprised that the APC are playing a fast politics on us as PDP. I never expected that this matter would have degenerated to this level before our action. ”
As the PDP prepares to pursue its legal challenge against the election results, many believe that the ongoing intimidation is a deliberate tactic to discredit the party’s petition.
Meanwhile, supporters of the party are now trending the hashtag #StopElectoralViolence to call to attention the politically motivated attacks against their supporters in Edo state.
