The government of Edo State has sent out a strong warning, stating that if the opposition All Progressives Congress does not permit a free and fair gubernatorial election in the state on September 21, 2024, there might be a national catastrophe.
This is stated in a statement signed by Chris Nehikhare, the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, and made public on Monday by Crusoe Osagie, special assistant on media initiatives.
Governor Godwin Obaseki recently made certain remarks that were explained by the administration.
Nehikhare claims that on July 21, 2024, during a stakeholder meeting, the governor said 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.”
The administration has released a statement in reaction to what it claims are APC attempts to “negatively spin” Obaseki’s words.
Nehikhare charged that the opposing party intended to manipulate the results of the election through violence.
The commissioner listed recent violent acts that he said were carried out by APC supporters, including as the attack on July 18 at the Benin Airport that left a police officer dead and caused property damage.
He also brought up an attack on the Secretariat of the Nigerian Bar Association, where it was said that attorneys were harassed and intimidated.
“As they say, the morning shows the day and the APC has clearly shown their plan for the September 21 governorship election in the State, which is to cause mayhem, make the State ungovernable, and take advantage of the chaos to manipulate the forthcoming governorship election,” Nehikhare stated.
The government issued a warning, stating that reckless actions by political players might spark a national catastrophe given the country’s present economic difficulties.
Nehikhare added, “This note of caution is even more appropriate with the ominous threat of a nationwide protest with the potential to degenerate into a widespread breakdown of law and order.”
The statement further urged residents to continue their lawful activities without fear and called on the Nigerian Police to apprehend the identified perpetrators of recent violence.
The government also offered to provide video evidence from its surveillance system to aid police investigations.
“While we urge all Edo people to go about their lawful businesses without fear, we call on the Nigerian Police to do its job and apprehend the hoodlums, most of whom have been positively identified and captured in videos, carrying firearms at the location of the crisis.
“The Edo State Government, through its robust security video surveillance, is ready to supply these videos taken in real-time to help the Police in their investigation,” the commissioner said.