The Edo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kassim Afegbua, has reacted to the reported attack on supporters of the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, and members of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Benin City, stating that neither the All Progressives Congress, APC, nor the state government should be blamed for the incident.
Afegbua, who spoke to journalists in Benin, described attempts to link the APC and the Edo State Government to the attack as unfounded and politically motivated.
According to him, “The APC as a party and the Edo State Government cannot be held responsible for what happened. It is wrong to apportion blame without proper investigation.”
He explained that the party in the state was already grappling with internal divisions following an incident that occurred at the residence of former National Chairman of the APC, John Odigie-Oyegun, on Monday.
Afegbua said, “You will recall that there was an issue at Oyegun’s house where some members of the party, including a former Chief Whip of the Senate, Roland Owie, were shut out. That development has further exposed the divisions within the party.”
He stressed that the internal disagreements within the APC make it untenable to attribute the attack to the party’s leadership in the state.
The commissioner further disclosed that the Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, was not in the state at the time of the incident.
“The governor and some members of the State Executive Council were in Abuja attending a conference when the incident occurred,” Afegbua said.
He added that Governor Okpebholo had since directed security agencies to take appropriate action.
“The governor has urged the Commissioner of Police to ensure that the perpetrators of the attack are arrested and brought to justice. We will not condone any act of violence, regardless of who is involved,” he stated.
Afegbua reiterated the state government’s commitment to maintaining law and order, assuring residents and political actors of adequate security protection across the state.
