By Newsmata
Amidst unrelenting vitriolic attacks on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo by the upstaged Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State for allegedly rigging its way into power in the September 21 governorship election, the APC has called on security agencies to investigate where the PDP got the allegedly manipulated Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, (BVAS) machines from with which they were circulating fake results to support their claim that they won the election since same have been acknowledged in the public space.
The APC also lampooned a former Aviation minister, Osita Chidoka who, in his appearance on Channels Television programme, Politics Today, concluded that the election was rigged in favour of Senator Okpebholo through the manipulation of BIVAS machines by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC)
At a press conference on Sunday, acting chairman of the APC, Jarret Tenebe, also faulted the PDP’s claim that the fly over bridge flagged-off at Ramat Park by the governor was in violation of procurement processes, insisting that it was captured in the budget. He upbraided the PDP for its consistent verbal assault on the Okpebholo administration, stating that the party lacked today’s governance realities.
Tenebe pooh-poohed the allegation by the caretaker committee chairman of the PDP, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, that APC thugs attacked its party secretariat which he challenged the party to substantiate, adding, “The ignoble and violent traits of PDP which they exhibited before, during and after the election are the signposts of imperialistic disposition which the Edo people shall never pray to experience again.”
On Chidoka’s claims, Tenebe said “We state unequivocally that there are two sets of BVAS machines in INEC office. The one legitimately used by INEC for the election, and the manipulated machines that were smuggled into the office of INEC by the PDP.
“We therefore now, more than ever before, call on the security agencies to investigate where the PDP got the manipulated BVAS machines from with which they are circulating fake results since same have been acknowledged in the public space.”
Condemning alleged public display of call to violence by some chieftains of the PDP during the campaigns in the event that the party lost the election, a situation he said was enough to query their moral rights to challenge the result of an election they expressed desperation to win, the APC chairman regretted that this resulted in ” the killing of the police inspector attached to the now governor”.
He said the “PDP, still celebrating its failure, has now embarked on a self-destructive voyage to criticise the government of Distinguished Senator Monday Okpebholo that has surpassed the non-achievement of Governor Obaseki in eight years, having just been in office for a few days.”
Responding to PDP’s criticism of the flyover bridge, Tenebe said Aziegbemi’s press conference a few days ago, only demonstrated that he had no knowledge of the implementation of the revised Appropriation Law 2024 of Edo State where, according to him, “the flyover bridge can be captured in the open-ended parenthesis of the budget which accommodates projects of implicit and urgent importance.
“Edo people are now happy that a governor who understands their plights and is ready to tackle them head-on has come, and they now know that what the PDP Government termed “impossible projects” like the flyovers, are realisable by a government that is determined to work and not believe in MoUs which only existed on papers.”
Addressing the alleged attack on its secretariat, Tenebe said “It is most disgusting for the PDP to ascribe the criminal destruction that happened in their moribund secretariat to the APC. While the APC government of His Excellency, Monday Okpebholo condemned any act of criminal tendencies like the alleged destruction of the PDP secretariat, it must be stated without equivocation that the said alleged act has no bearing with the APC”.
He said the allegation was a criminal one that must be proven beyond reasonable doubt, “Therefore, we require the PDP to substantiate their allegations with undisputed facts so that the allegations should not remain in the realm of suspicion which has no place in our criminal statutes.
“The PDP must know that His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Monday Okoebholo has put his hand to the plough and is ready to put Edo State on the map of progressives”.