Edo guber: APC, Obaseki bicker over rigging plot

The All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State are embroiled in a heated dispute over allegations that the governor is planning to rig the upcoming September 21 governorship election by deploying fake security personnel. The APC, through its Campaign Council’s Media Consultant, Kassim Afegbua, accused Governor Obaseki of producing police and military uniforms for members of the Edo State Security Network (ESSN) to wear on election day as part of a scheme to intimidate voters and manipulate the election.

According to Afegbua, a meeting was held at the Edo State Government House where the plot was discussed, but some attendees reportedly turned down the offer. He further claimed that signs of the alleged plan were evident in recent attacks on APC members in Akoko-Edo and Ewohimi following campaign events. Afegbua called on the military and police authorities to investigate and prevent any potential breakdown of law and order in the state.

In response, Governor Obaseki’s Special Adviser on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, dismissed the allegations as baseless and described them as a desperate attempt by the APC to distract from its own plans to rig the election. Osagie argued that the APC, fearful of losing the election, is resorting to spreading falsehoods. He also highlighted the role of the ESSN in combating crime at the grassroots level and accused the APC of trying to discredit the state’s security efforts to gain an unfair advantage in the election.