By Newsmata
The Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the deeply embattled Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Tony Aziegbemi has narrated his life-threatening experience when on Thursday the state chairman of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) Jarret Tenebe, led hundreds of hoodlums to invade the controversial party secretariat at 59, Airport Road, Benin City.
Newsmata reports the party secretariat is being laid claim to by both the APC and PDP. While the APC claimed the property was forcefully taken over by the PDP four years ago enabled by the then governor, Godwin Obaseki when he defected to the party, the APC insisted that the secretariat belonged to it.
Like the APC which claimed it had paid seven years’ rent on the property at the time with the assistance of its national body, the PDP similarly claimed it holds the tenancy to the property, which it said belonged to a private individual.
Narrating his harrowing experience in a press statement on Friday, titled, “Criminal Trespass, Breaking and Entry, Stealing and Malicious Damage,” Dr. Aziegbemi said, “At 1:31 pm yesterday, January 16, 2025, the APC, using several Hilux vans and other vehicles, led by Jarret Tenebe, deployed their thugs, backed by police officers from the Government House, to sack the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from its secretariat on Airport Road, Benin City, the Edo State capital.
“The entire operation was violent and brutal as has never been heard of or seen before, and sadly, it lasted for more than an hour. The secretariat was vandalised, and there was wreckage and destruction everywhere. Banners and other materials were taken off and destroyed. Lives were put in danger, including mine as the Chairman of the PDP in Edo State. I was forcefully bundled out of my office with the help of Mr. Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon. Blessing Agbebaku, amidst brutal assault and violence against my person.
“No doubt, this is arguably the worst attack on democracy in any part of Nigeria since the nation’s return to democracy in 1999. Even military regimes before 1999 were not as violent or brutal against dissenting voices as the Okpebholo-led government since they took office on November 12, 2024.
“Today’s violent takeover of the PDP Secretariat by Okpebholo and the APC is a clear reflection of the reign of terror that the people of Edo State have witnessed over the past two months. We state unequivocally that we are the legitimate tenants of the said property. It is the same devious tactics deployed to sack and intimidate duly elected council chairmen and vice chairmen out of office, using horse whips and other dangerous weapons. It is the same pattern that is deployed in motor parks and markets, where thugs operating under the protection of the state government harass, intimidate, and extort transporters and traders daily without restraint”.
Later at a press conference, the PDP described the way its secretariat was invaded by the APC as an invitation to anarchy in the state and called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to call Governor Monday Okpebholo and the APC to order before the situation degenerated.
Flanked by the party’s publicity secretary, Chris Nehikhare, and the Director General of the PDP Governorship Campaign Council for the September 21, 2024, gubernatorial election, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, Dr Aziegbemi lamented that terror now reigned in the state.
Bemoaning the late response of the police to his distress call when the secretariat was invaded, the PDP chairman said though he immediately put a call across to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Aideyan Police Station, but the DPO did not arrive at the secretariat until 2:42 pm from a distance of less than five minutes’ drive.
Newsmata gathered that following the delay in police response to his plight, Aziegbemi had to call the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku who immediately arrived to take him out of the building.
The distraught chairman stated that the property housing the PDP secretariat is owned by a private individual and wondered why the APC chairman did not toe the path of civilisation by contacting the landlord if indeed the APC had a subsisting seven-year tenancy agreement on the property.
Dr. Aziegbemi described the invasion and ransacking of the PDP secretariat as “executive recklessness which points to one direction, anarchy,” adding, “the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State has continued its brigandage, illegality, and violent assault on democracy, and we are deeply worried that if unabated, it may snowball into a breakdown of law and order, leading to anarchy and chaos in the state.”
Nehikhare, in his reaction, said “We should be congratulating PDP and its supporters for the restraint and maturity displayed. I’m very proud and honoured to be part of such noble men, women and youth. Edo will rise again!”