ARMED persons suspected to be thugs Wednesday disrupted an early morning All Progressives Congress (APC) rally in Jattu, Etsako West local government area with sporadic gunshots that led to the party leaders and enthusiasts hurriedly leaving the venue.
But the APC later in the evening reconvened in the place as part of its ward to ward campaigns in Edo north senatorial district. However, the APC alleged that the suspected gunmen were sponsored by the state Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shiabu, an allegation he has since denied.
The suspected thugs were chanting war songs and insisted that that APC would not hold its rally in the place which is the area of Shaibu. Chairman of the Edo APC Media Campaign Council, John Mayaki alleged that the thugs have since been hired and lodged in hotels alleging that the deputy governor preceded the incident with a false petition to the Police that his party members would be attacked “to deflect attention from himself and blame the violence on others.”
He said: “The PDP has continued its attack on our campaign with armed thugs, militias, and other groups. Yesterday in Owan East, thugs invaded all three venues of our campaign events, breaking chairs, and destroying facilities in the area.
“Today in Jattu, he has charged the thugs to ensure that no APC rally takes place because the sheer number of residents who are planning to attend will expose his rejection to the whole world and advertise his defenestration as a good-for-nothing liability on the PDP ticket.
“We have called the Commissioner of Police and will follow that with a petition to the IGP for the investigation of Philip Shaibu’s activities in Edo North, especially his convoy which has now become nothing but an official transport service of thugs and illegal arms for violent attacks. But in a swift reaction, the Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, through his Chief Press Secretary, Musa Ebomhiana said “The latest cry of the APC is akin to the cry of a drowning man holding on to the last straw.
“The APC has stored so much arms in the system, they are now turning the arms against themselves. “In Ikhin, Owan East, APC gave N500,000 to the youths to go and share in Afuze after their campaign on the 14th of August, they disagreed and in the process, Ibira youths they bought killed two Afuze youths.
The Afuze youths in retaliation, mobilized to Ibira camp in the area and killed three Ibira youths, bringing the total killings to five.”
“They know that this battle has been fought and won in the spiritual realm. We are only waiting for the manifestation in the physical on the 19th September”, Shaibu said.
VANGUARD
