APC Demands Arrest of Edo Assembly Speaker Over Alleged Violence Against Party Members
The All Progressives Congress, APC, has called on security agencies to arrest and prosecute the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku for allegedly masterminding attacks on its members in Owan West LGA.
the Edo State acting chairman of the party, Emperor Jarret Tenebe made the call in a statement made available to newsmen in Benin City.
Tenebe accused the Speaker of masterminding attacks on one Chief Ohimai.
He also alleged that thugs working for the Speaker smashed a seven-month-old baby of one David Iruedo, the APC Ward 2 Organising Secretary, against the wall while the mother was stripped naked and her bar vandalized.
He further alleged that the thugs assaulted Mrs Collins Amoni, the wife of the party’s chairman in Ward 2, burnt her headgear, while her mobile phone was stolen by the attackers.
The Edo State APC acting chairman alleged that the incidents happened between August 20, 2024, and August 31, 2024
He stated that the attacks were carried out by Lucky Omon, Kelvin Ojo Omon, Lucy Unuigbe, Tunde Akele, Kelvin Omon Odion and many others.
In the statement, titled, ‘Again, the All Progressives Congress Demands Arrest and Prosecution of Blessing Aigbebaku For Electoral Violence in Edo State’, he also alleged that the attackers were transported to the scene with Sienna buses that were escorted by Blessing Agbebaku’s white official Hilux truck.
The statement read, “About a week ago, exactly on August 20, 2024, our party raised an alarm on some heinous plans to disrupt the September 21, Governorship Election in the state by Blessing Aigbebaku, a member and Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly.
“Curiously, no action has been taken against him by the security agencies despite the timely report of his unholy intimidation and violence against members and sympathisers of our party.
“Agbebaku has a horrible history of thuggery and violence, and must not be allowed to take the liberty of police reluctance to unleash thugs on APC members, all in his bid to stop the people of Owan West Local Government Area from benefiting from Chief Ohimai’s philanthropic activities which he has designed to bring relief to them.
“On Saturday 31st of August 2024, one Kelvin Omon Odion of the People Democratic Party, acting on the instruction of a very despicable Blessing Agbebaku, attacked the wife of the APC Ward 2 chairman and during the mayhem Odion and other thugs physically assaulted her, in the process, her headgear was burnt, Mrs. Collins Amoni mobile phone device was also stolen.
“The PDP and Agbebaku’s agents returned with Lucky Omon, Kelvin Ojo Omon, Lucy Unuigbe, Hon. Tunde Akele, and many others to the drinking bar owned by David Iruedo, the APC Ward 2 Organising Secretary to attack his entire family.
“They smashed Iruedo’s seven month old baby against the wall, stripped his wife naked and vandalized his bar.
“Agbebaku and his thugs inflicted severe injuries on Iruedo and Endurance Aidokhai in the process.”
Tenebe called on security agencies to immediately arrest the Speaker and all those that have been identified in the latest attack.
Contacted, the media aide to the Speaker, Mrs Ivy Adodo-Ebojele, said her principal would not want to comment on the allegations.
“The Speaker said he will not comment on the allegations raised by the Edo APC chairman,” she said.
