The Peoples Democratic Party-led Edo State Government has accused the All Progressives Congress of planning to cause a civil unrest under the guise of protests and rallies in order to advance its political agenda.
The Commissioner of Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, levelled the allegation on Wednesday in Benin.
The Commissioner, during a news conference, alleged that the APC had resorted to inciting the public that the Federal Government gave many truckloads of rice to the state government for the people, but the rice was now with some chieftains of the PDP.
Nehikhare said the state government knew nothing about the rice from the Federal Government looted by protesters on August 1 from a warehouse in Benin.
He said that the APC was worried because it had realised the folly of presenting an incompetent candidate for the governorship election on September 21.
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He said: “Our findings reveal that the APC plans to incite civil unrest and cause chaos under the guise of riots and protests in order to disrupt the peace and stability of the state.
“APC is trying to divert attention from its candidate’s weaknesses and buying time to avoid debates and meaningful engagement with the people.”
Nehikhare said the government had alerted the Nigeria Police Force and Department of State Services of the plan.
Responding, Orobosa Omo-Ojo, Director of Publicity, Edo State APC Campaign Council, denied the allegation.
He said Governor Godwin Obaseki was only being haunted by the ghost of #EndBadGovernance protest he allegedly sponsored in the state.
Omo-Ojo said the alleged sponsored protest led to the discovery of the hidden Federal Government palliative in a PDP leader’s house in Benin, the state capital.
He said contrary to Obaseki’s expectation, while he was addressing his PDP members and political aides he gathered as protesters, the real protesters located the rice and looted it.
“The fear of losing the entire hidden grains has led to Obaseki’s sudden hatred for organisers of the protest who he now calls hoodlums and thugs,” Omo-Ojo said.
The Director of Publicity called on the people of Edo State to do everything to reject the PDP and its candidate during the September 21 poll, alleging that Asue Ighodalo would be worse than Obaseki if elected.