A bloody clash between supporters of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, claimed two lives on Thursday at Fugar, headquarters of Etsako Central Local Government area of Edo State.
Properties worth millions of naira were destroyed in the clash which occurred barely 48 hours after the state commissioner of police, Folusho Adebanji, met with contestants, leaders and members of political parties participating in local government election slated for Saturday April 13, 2013.
The chairman of ACN in Etsako Central Local government area, Paul Osugbo, and a resident identified as Oboareye Ibharue were allegedly killed in the clash.
ACN chairmanship candidate, Emmanuel Momoh, whose convoy was attacked narrowly escaped death as a number of vehicles were set ablaze.
Momoh expressed dismay at the attitude of the PDP in the area in what he described as a desperate bid to disrupt the April 14, election.
“As I speak to you now, our party chairman’s house and vehicles have been set ablaze while my convoy was attacked. When I was entering Fugar, my convoy was attacked and vehicles badly damaged. However, security agents had been drafted to restore normalcy,” he told journalists.
It was learnt that the clash was triggered off on Wednesday evening when a PDP supporter, whose name was given as Odion Agbabi, allegedly drove his party’s vehicle into a campaign rally of the ACN chairmanship candidate, sparking the a fracas that saw supporters opposing parties engaging in a shootout and the use of other dangerous weapons.
Commenting on the incident, Edo State chairman of PDP, Dan Orbih, called on the police to apprehend and prosecute those behind the crisis. He added that ACN is so desperate to win elections in all the councils in the state.
“This is not the first time they have boasted that they are going to win 18 out of 18 even when elections are yet to take place, this is just a sign of things to come. What happened to the One-man, One-vote they have always preached about?” he asked.
The state police commissioner who confirmed the incident said some suspects had been arrested and were being interrogated over the incident.
Source:ICIR
