Edo Guber: PDP wants CP, INEC REC redeployed

Ahead of the September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded the immediate redeployment of the Police Commissioner, Nemo Edwin-Iwo, as well as the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Anugbum Onuoha.

It alleged that the Police Commissioner has allowed the police to be influenced by some All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders to jeopardise the security of the election preparations.

At an emergency press conference addressed by the PDP’s acting national chairman, Umar Damagum, the opposition party claimed that “a terror squad going by the name, IGP response team, on the instruction of APC leaders, are hounding, arresting, and torturing members and supporters of the PDP, especially those who recently decamped from the APC to the PDP.”

“Reports reaching our Party are that the said APC-controlled torture squad arresting and detaining our members is allegedly operating with the knowledge of the Commissioner of Police in Edo State, CP Nemo Edwin-Iwo,” the PDP further alleged.

He stated that no fewer than 16 of its members and supporters have been arrested in Edo State on trumped-up charges, with some of them whisked to Abuja, where they are detained and tortured.

“In the same vein, no fewer than 15 others have been marked for arrest by the police on trumped-up charges.

“The intention of the APC in this sinister plot is to terrify the people of Edo State, prevent them from coming out to vote, and seize the opportunity to manipulate and rig the election, a plot that is being firmly resisted by the people.

“There are apprehensions in Edo State that this is an attempt by the IGP Police to allow the APC thugs to have a field day to unleash violence on the people and pave the way for the manipulation of the election in favour of the APC,” the opposition party claimed.

On its demand for the redeployment of the REC, the PDP alleged that the APC is attempting to infiltrate and compromise the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by reportedly influencing the appointment of a known APC apologist and supporter, Dr. Anugbum Onuoha, who is notorious for his partisan association with APC leaders, as the Edo State REC.

“The appointment of this overtly partisan individual as Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner is completely unacceptable as he is susceptible to bias, manipulations by the APC and therefore not in a position to guarantee a transparent, free, fair, and credible governorship election in Edo State,” it stressed.

The party also demanded that the IGP should immediately release all members of the PDP being detained by the Police.