Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has ordered the state’s vigilante group to resume operations, following the conclusion of the governorship election.

He also expressed concern over the recent attack on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in the state by suspected thugs.

The governor’s order, yesterday, is contrary to the ban placed on the Edo State Vigilante Network by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, a few days before the last governorship election in the state.

Obaseki, during the State Security Council meeting in Benin City, expressed appreciation to the Edo people for maintaining peace before, during and after the gubernatorial election, despite its outcome.

According to him, other issues highlighted at the meeting included the unauthorised collection of revenue, the peddling of hard drugs, and security challenges in Okpella, Edo North.

The Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, alleged that members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were keeping vigil at the INEC office in the state to foment trouble. He added that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawyers, who went to the INEC office, were denied access to the materials used for the election, despite presenting a court order.

Nehikhare condemned the APC’s attempts to obstruct justice and frustrate the PDP’s efforts to regain its mandate, which was stolen during the September 21 governorship election.

He added: “To say the least, this is most troubling, shameful and reprehensible in the light of the wider ramifications of the action of these thugs.

“An INEC official, who anonymously spoke to them (PDP lawyers) after hours of unnecessary delays and tossing around, claimed they were awaiting permission from the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who is out of the country.”

The commissioner alleged that the game plan of APC was to frustrate the PDP’s appeal and ensure the petition was not filed before the Saturday deadline.

He noted: “This is a great threat to our democracy and we call on civil society organisations, international observers and other stakeholders to keep an eye on Edo to stop this resort to intimidation and harassment by the APC to derail the will of the people.

“We have also been reliably informed of plans by the APC to burn the INEC office, to destroy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines and other electoral materials to eliminate evidence of their electoral fraud of September 21 in Edo.”

For the second day running, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Edo State, against the order of the court, refused to grant PDP and its candidate, Dr Asue Ighodalo, access to the BVAS machines and other materials used for the September 21 governorship election.

REINSTATED deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shiabu, on Tuesday countered Governor Obaseki’s position to return the suspended Edo State Security Network to the streets after the September 21 governorship election, accusing the governor of taking actions that could cause chaos in the state by the time he leaves office on November 12.

Shaibu stated this while speaking to journalists after a closed-door meeting with the Commissioner of Police, Nemo Edwin-Iwo, where he also faulted Obaseki’s decision to appoint a traditional ruler for Okpella in Etsako East local government area, which has reportedly caused some deaths.

Shaibu told journalists: “I have to come to see the Commissioner of Police to explain to him that, the Edo vigilante cannot resume work. The Edo vigilante that we have as constituted today is to cause mayhem to political opponents. We have it on authority because as the deputy governor of Edo State, I have security reports both official and unofficial so I am aware that the governor and his team want to get them back to use them to cause disharmony in the state and go after APC members that are protesting.

“Every citizen of this country has the right to protest and also protect his interest, the PDP protested to the INEC office, and today, APC also protested at the place to ensure that there is no tampering with election materials but he wants to use the vigilante to intimidate people.

“What I expect the police to be doing now is to recover the arms and ammunition in the hands of these vigilantes which the governor gave to them. As we speak, the Nigerian police are doing well, some of the personnel that came during the election and their equipment are still around for post-election security issues so why is the governor in a hurry to bring vigilantes back?

“Some decisions the governor is taking are causing problems in the state, imagine four weeks to go, he is giving staff of office to some traditional rulers. What stopped this governor for the past five years for instance from installing the Okueokulagbe of Okpella? I am told that some people died yesterday because of that singular action. The Okueokulagbe died over five years ago and the council brought names to him to announce but he refused just to cause a crisis.”