BENIN – Prince Kassim Afegbua, the Media Director of the All Progressives Congress Campaign Council, has condemned two recent attacks on the party’s campaign team.
Afegbua also alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party had twisted the narrative to make it seem APC members were attacking their leaders or that the team was being chased out of campaign grounds.
“The rate at which propaganda has engulfed the PDP in Edo State during this campaign season is quite alarming. They brought in some hackers, spinners, hirelings, and cloners to twist narratives to suit their inflated egos, attempting, with exaggerated fanfare, to confuse Edo voters.
“Two incidents occurred during the APC campaigns in Edo North, and the reports we saw, scripted by the PDP supporters, were most confounding.
“At the Ososo campaign in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, the APC held a very successful campaign with a huge turnout, much to the dismay of the PDP. As we were leaving the community, some ragtag thugs, presumably PDP supporters, tried to disrupt the movement of our convoy,” the statement read.
He expressed his gratitude to the security operatives who stepped in to restore order.
He added that the party strongly believes no life is worth losing over an election.
Afegbua claimed that the narrative promoted by PDP supporters was completely false and the opposite of what transpired.
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“At Ekperi, in Etsako Central Local Government, we also had a robust engagement with our supporters during the campaign. After we had finished, on our way to Fugar, the local government headquarters, some PDP street urchins and thugs attempted to disrupt our convoy once again, this time shooting at our candidate’s vehicle.
Thanks once again to the security operatives accompanying us on the campaign, the situation was brought under control.
“When PDP hirelings, coupon clippers, and rentiers reported the incident, they twisted it to suggest that we were chased out of Ekperi. Even the PDP chieftain from Ekperi, Barrister Pascal Ugbome, knows that Ekperi is an APC stronghold, and the PDP will be soundly defeated in that locality and across Etsako Land.
We are left wondering why the PDP believes that electoral engagements must be marred by violence and bloodshed,” he said.
Afegbua also stated that the APC has restrained its members from engaging in any form of violence during and after this election season.
“We have resisted this option because we love the people of Edo, regardless of their political affiliations.
“However, if this trajectory of violence continues, we may be forced to confront those who think violence and gangsterism are their methods of operation.
“When they attack the APC campaign team, they are quick to make twisted reports, suggesting that we are attacking ourselves; such perverse logic is baffling.
“This statement serves as a final warning to the PDP to instruct Governor Obaseki’s supporters to desist from further acts of violence, as our retaliation, should we resort to self-defence, would be uncontrollable. A word is enough for the wise.”, he declared.