With just a few days to go before the highly anticipated Edo governorship election scheduled for Saturday, September 21, tensions are escalating as the Nigeria Police Force has intensified its crackdown on supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The wave of arrests, described by many as politically motivated, has triggered outrage across the state, with accusations mounting that the police are working in tandem with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to disrupt the electoral process.
Reports from various parts of Edo State, including Benin City, Auchi, and Ekpoma, indicate that PDP supporters have been rounded up in alarming numbers.
Eyewitness accounts reveal that the arrests predominantly target outspoken individuals about their support for the PDP and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo.
Many of the detainees, arrested on charges ranging from unlawful assembly to incitement, have denied any wrongdoing, accusing the police of harassment and intimidation ahead of the election.
A resident of Auchi, Mr. Sunday Ogbeide, whose cousin was reportedly arrested during a pro-PDP rally, said the actions of the police are sending a chilling message to voters.
“They arrested my cousin just because he was wearing a PDP T-shirt and holding a campaign flyer. This is not about law and order; it is about silencing us. They don’t want a fair election, they want to clear the way for the APC,” Ogbeide lamented.
Several key figures within the PDP have condemned the clampdown, asserting that the police are no longer acting as neutral enforcers of the law but as agents of political suppression.
PDP chieftain, Sam Isimenmen, shared his thoughts over the arrests, calling it a deliberate attempt to tilt the election in favour of the APC.
“This election is supposed to be about the people of Edo choosing their governor freely and fairly. What we are seeing now is a blatant use of state power to intimidate, arrest, and harass PDP supporters.
“The police should be protecting the electoral process, not undermining it,” he told journalists in Benin City on Monday.
The outrage has not been limited to PDP members alone. Civil society organizations and human rights activists have joined in condemning the police’s actions.
Speaking on the matter, Comrade Seun Adegbayi, Director of the Civic Rights Group (CRG), expressed deep concern over the political interference of security agencies.
He said: “What we are witnessing is a coordinated clampdown that aims to silence opposition voices. The Nigeria Police Force should be impartial, but this situation shows clear bias.
“The APC is using every means to intimidate voters and reduce the strength of PDP supporters. This is not the democracy we fought for.”
PDP supporters are not the only ones raising alarms. Market women, students, and youth groups who have come out in support of the PDP have reported increasing instances of harassment and arrests.
Chief Ehime Ogie, a PDP chieftain in Edo State, warned that if the clampdown continues, it could plunge the state into post-election violence.
His words: “The people of Edo State will not stand by and watch their rights being trampled on. The police and their APC collaborators are playing with fire.
“We demand that the Inspector General of Police immediately orders the release of all PDP supporters unlawfully detained and ensures that the police act in the interest of democracy, not partisan politics.”
The crackdown has led to an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty ahead of Saturday’s election, with many PDP supporters expressing concerns over their safety and right to vote.
“If they are arresting people just for supporting the PDP, how can we trust that they won’t rig the election or stop us from voting? This is an attack on democracy,” Odion Osagie, a student and PDP volunteer said.
There have been reports of ongoing arrests of PDP supporters in Edo State ahead of the September 21 governorship election. Among those reportedly arrested is a local government chairman.
Governor Godwin Obaseki had warned that the arrests could escalate tensions in the state, potentially destabilizing the political environment.
He also called for intervention from the Inspector General of Police and President Bola Tinubu to ensure a fair and peaceful election.
Civil society groups have also condemned the arrests, calling for an impartial investigation and expressing concern over the possible misuse of “federal might” by the APC.