The Edo chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of hiring armed thugs to attack the party’s forensic team, which visited the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office to inspect election materials as mandated by the court.
In a statement, the PDP claimed that its forensic team was allegedly assaulted by a group of APC members who prevented them from accessing the INEC office in Benin.
While narrating the incident, the PDP stated that the team had previously visited the INEC state headquarters, where they were received by Mrs. Rita Amadi, the Commission’s Head of Department (Legal). She claimed to have misplaced her copy of the court order. To further complicate matters, the ICT staff required for the inspection were reportedly unavailable at that time.
The PDP team promptly returned with a copy of the court order a few hours later. By then, the ICT staff were present, but Mrs. Amadi had already left the office. After some back-and-forth, both parties agreed to reconvene the following day at 10 a.m. for the inspection.
However, upon their arrival the next morning, the PDP delegation encountered violence. A mob of aggressive APC thugs descended on the team, damaging vehicles and smashing the windscreen of the lead security vehicle. Shockingly, police officers stationed at the scene stood by, making no attempt to intervene as the thugs carried out their attack.
In a tense conference call with Mrs. Amadi later that day, the PDP delegation accused INEC’s Head of Legal of endangering their lives by allowing them to walk into a trap. While she denied any intentional wrongdoing, she acknowledged the gravity of the situation. Mrs. Amadi also admitted that she had reported threats from APC members to the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), but INEC had failed to take any measures to ensure her safety.
Peoplesmind
