National Telescope national telescope newspaper
By: Ekpenyong Emmanuel
A disturbing incident of violence erupted outside the Edo State High Court premises, venue of the Election Petition Tribunal, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, challenged the declaration of Senator Monday Okpebholo as the winner of the September 21, 2024 governorship poll.
Eyewitnesses reported that the shootings occurred around 7 am at the Exotic Junction, sending workers and traders scrambling for safety.
A viral video showed a man wearing a white T-shirt with the inscription “AI” wielding a pump-action gun and shouting, “return mandate! return our mandate.”
The APC acting chairman, Emperor Jarret Tenebe, strongly condemned the violence, stating, ”
The Tribunal is a sacred space where justice is meant to be administered impartially. Any act of violence within its walls undermines the very foundation of our legal system and threatens the safety of all involved.
Regardless of political affiliation, resorting to violence to resolve disputes is never justifiable.
We must all condemn such actions in the strongest possible terms.
Those responsible for this heinous act must be brought to justice swiftly and without exception.”
In response, the PDP chairman caretaker committee, Tony Azeigbemi, alleged that the APC was behind the chaos, aiming to frustrate the PDP’s efforts to reclaim the mandate given to them by the Edo people.
He claimed that the APC had deployed thugs disguised in PDP-branded attire to disrupt the legal process and mislead the public.
Azeigbemi questioned, “Why would the PDP attempt to disrupt the only opportunity it has to reclaim the mandate given to it by the people of Edo State during the last governorship election?”
He urged the police to arrest and prosecute the gun-wielding thug visible in the viral video.
