Suspected thugs disrupt PDP rally as ex-council boss dumps APC in Edo

A former Chairman of Ikpoba-Okha Local Council and former Chairman of Edo State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Itohan Osahon Ogbeide, yesterday defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as youths suspected to be thugs from one of the rival political parties disrupted the event.

The youths who stormed Ugbekun in Upper Sokponba, venue of PDP rally with dangerous weapons started shouting to distract as well as engaged in singing, dancing and ringing of bells all in a bid to disrupt proceedings at the rally.

Trouble started when Itohan started addressing the rally as the youths started throwing away chairs, destroying some of the musical equipment positioned at the event.

Addressing the crowd, Edo State Chairman of PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, while receiving Itohan and the over 2,000 defectors from APC, urged the party members to brace up for the task of rescuing the country from what he called the APC misrule.

Orbih said no amount of threat, intimidation, persecution and prosecution of opposition leaders on trump up charges will deter them in the onerous task of ousting the APC in the forthcoming general election.

Orbih added that the harvest of decampees was a sign of the impending defeat of the ruling party.

On her part, Ogbeide said that her decision to quit the APC is borne out of the suffering and insecurity foisted on the nation and the alleged attack and rape of women by herdsmen.