PDP cries to UN, NBA, accuses Oshiomhole of using violence, state power to intimidate opponent, manipulate poll

The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused Governor Adams Oshiomhole and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, of usiung violence and state power to intimidate it and to also manipulate the September 28 governorship election in the state.

The party made the accusation in a letter it wrote to the United Nations and other international community as well as the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, over the governorship election and alleged underhand tactics the state government and the APC are employing.

According to the PDP, there has been an unfair deployment of the agencies of state, particularly the police, the Attorney-General’s Office, and the State Revenue Service in the harassment, molestation, intimidation, arrest and persecution of its leaders and members.

These, the party said was because of the APC’s desperation to win the governorship election, which it claimed APC shifted from September 10 after realizing that it had not perfected its plan to rig against an overwhelmingly popular PDP governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

The PDP letter reads in part: “We wish to state that our recourse to seeking international attention and intervention is predicated on the fact that the Edo State governor Adams Oshiomhole has boasted that APC controlled federal government is evidently supportive of the actions of the state government in furtherance of the grand design to undermine the process of a free and fair electoral contest as expected in a civilized democracy.

“The Edo State government, has in obvious abuse of its powers brought the Edo State Revenue Service into the fray of coercion of Edo State PDP.

“The Board of Internal Revenue has in an unprecedented move taken the State PDP to court on the allegation of non payment of tax by staff of the PDP Secretariat.

“The State Chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, who apparently is the prime target of the litigation is mentioned as the defendant.

“Information available to us is that the APC led government wants Chief Orbih remanded in prison custody during the remaining period of the campaign and on Election Day as the courts have been briefed that whenever he appears his bail condition will be such that he cannot meet it, even as the allegation is trumped up.

“We know that this resort is an exercise in futility.

“As feared, the postponement has afforded the APC the opportunity to step up the plot to compromise the electoral process.

“Notably, the harassment, arrest and brutalization of influential and uncompromising members of the party across the state by policemen acting on the directive of the chief security officer of Edo State, the governor, has escalated.

“On a daily basis, PDP members are being summoned to appear at various police stations on phantom charges. They are detained in most instances. Some of our members have been victims of serious violent attacks from agents of the APC suffering bodily harm and loss of valuable property in the process.

“The leader of the APC in the State and Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has boasted that it is over his dead body that PDP would win the governorship election.

“The grand design of the APC is to subvert the will of the people and if this is not checked it may spell grave consequences for the state.

“We therefore, call on the members of the international community and all promoters of democracy to impress it on the federal government which is in control of all the organs responsible for the conduct of Edo 2016 governorship election to direct and ensure that the election is not compromised directly or indirectly, before, during and after.

“It should demonstrate good sportsmanship, having recently been a beneficiary of an election conducted by an incumbent.

“In the meantime, the rampaging governor of Edo State should be called to order; the will of Edo people should be allowed to be freely expressed and the outcome accepted by all.

By Timothy Enietan-Matthews….

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