Edo State Government has denied the claim by the state deputy governor, Pius Odubu, of plans to assassinate him.
According to Premium Times, the Edo State commissioner for information and orientation, Kassim Afegbua, saying the claim was false and no one plans to take away his life.
Reports, however, revealed that about seven people, including a policeman and an operative of the State Security Service were reportedly injured during the attack on Saturday, April 30, 2016.
The attack occurred at the secretariat of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area when Mr, Odubu was meeting party delegates in furtherance of his consultation for the June primary election.
The deputy governor’s campaign office had blamed the attack on the deputy governor’s political opponents, even as Odubu said at a press conference that he is a subject of attack by his foes.
But the commissioner for information, Afegbua, had said the alleged conclusion of Odubu on assassination was rather too hasty, saying preliminary reports indicated that the fracas was caused by thugs loyal to Odubu’s campaign organization imported in two truck loads to Auchi who attacked party loyalists who are in the camp of Odubu.
“It is instructive to note that the deputy governor was inside the secretariat building of the APC in the company of the party chairman in the local government, Alhaji Umoru Akokhia, addressing the delegates while thugs loyal to him who had become unruly fired gunshots at other APC loyalists who were outside protesting against his visit.
“We gathered authoritatively that the first shots were, in fact, fired by Odubu’s security details in an attempt to scare away the party faithful who were against the hoodlums imported to their domain by the Odubu Campaign Organisation, before thugs loyal to him fired at the party’s loyalists.
“It should be noted that among those who sustained injuries are APC loyalists who are presently receiving medical attention in the hospital. It is laughable that the Odubu Campaign Organisation will allege that the Deputy Governor, with full compliments of security details, was shot at yet no casualty was recorded on the other side and nobody apprehended.
“The governor has already directed the commissioner of police to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the incident and whoever that is found culpable will be made to face the full wrath of the law no matter how highly placed. It should be understood that democracy is all about inclusive participation and contestation of ideas, and not rule of the gun.”
