TheCable

Osagie Ize-Iyamu, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo, says supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are responsible for the attack in Apana, Etsako west local government area of the state.

Obaseki, who is seeking a second term on the platform of the PDP, said his convoy was attacked on Thursday at ward 10 in Apana.

Adams Oshiomhole, former national chairman of APC, is from the ward.

Addressing a press conference in Benin, the state capital, on Saturday, Ize-Iyamu absolved the APC from the allegations that the party was behind the attack where some billboards were also destroyed.

According to Ize-Iyamu, the attack was perpetrated by “PDP thugs”.

He claimed that the thugs identified APC members in the neighbourhood and attacked them, adding that police officers “stood helplessly”.

There has been tension in the state ahead of the September 19 governorship election.

“We want to dissociate the APC from these unfounded claims as we have no hand in the violent destruction of billboards, though have the video and picture footages capturing the atrocities of the PDP thugs,” Ize-Iyamu said.

“They destroyed our party’s billboards and opened fire on residents with AK 47, right in the presence of the Nigeria police and started shooting, not only into the air but also targeting houses which led to so many injuries and subsequent hospitalisation of victims.

“There was nowhere in the video where APC attacked the PDP, rather it was thugs in their own midst who went on rampage against identified APC members in the neighbourhood and began to harass them.

“It is sad that the police stood helplessly while PDP thugs unleashed terror on the people because they are sympathetic to the APC.”

The APC candidate, who urged security agencies to swing into action and apprehend the perpetrators, said his party is totally against violence.

“It was obvious that the PDP are not ready for the election, yet they are the ones crying wolf when there are no wolves. If they apprehend these miscreants, this violence will definitely stop,” he said.