Edo Police Deploy More Personnel as Tensions Rise at Governorship Election Tribunal
The Edo State Police Command has increased its security presence at the venue of the ongoing governorship election petition tribunal in Benin City, following escalating tensions during the first week of hearings.
The tribunal, which is considering the case filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the result of the September 2024 governorship election, has been marred by incidents of violence and intimidation. These include shooting incidents and clashes between supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the PDP.
The APC candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, was declared the winner of the election with 291,667 votes, defeating his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the PDP, who garnered 247,655 votes. Despite this, the PDP has accused the election of being fraudulent and is seeking to have the result nullified by the tribunal.
During the tribunal’s first week, a gunman was filmed firing into the air outside the High Court where the tribunal is sitting, while thugs reportedly attempted to disrupt proceedings inside the court. These events prompted the police to increase their security presence around the tribunal venue.
Police spokesman SP Moses Yamu emphasized that the force has deployed adequate personnel to ensure peace and safety at the tribunal, while also confirming that an investigation into the shooting incident is underway.
Meanwhile, the APC has accused the PDP of instigating the crises, particularly after PDP candidate Ighodalo brought private security personnel to the court, which they argue was a breach of protocol. The APC further criticized the PDP for fueling the unrest, claiming that the PDP lacks a strong case and is using violence to disrupt the legal process.
On the other hand, the PDP has denied these accusations, arguing that it is the APC that is instigating violence to distract the tribunal from hearing the case. The PDP also defended the use of private security personnel to protect their candidate, claiming that they no longer trusted the police to provide adequate security.
Both parties have called for calm, with the Labour Party urging the warring factions to allow the court proceedings to go smoothly for the sake of democracy.
