Following the protest staged by the defeated People’s Democratic Party candidate in the just concluded September 28th governorship polls in Edo state, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the state chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, has set the ball in motion to stage its own counter-protest.
It will be noted that Pastor Ize-Iyamu had on Friday led a protest march tagged: “Mother of all rally”, through major streets in Benin City saying God had asked him to “pursue and recover” the “mandate”, which INEC and APC robbed him off.
State Chairman of APC, Anselm Ojeua, in a press conference on Sunday described the PDP protest as an apparent show of shame embarked upon to justify the huge sums of money made available to them by governors of the party from the South-South geo-political zone for the Edo State election.
He said the APC will commence its own counter-protest today across the major cities and towns in the state.
Ojezua, however, debunked claims by the PDP governorship candidate that APC failed to celebrate the September 28th electoral victory.
“Immediately after the results were declared, we went with Godwin to his office to make an acceptance speech and we went in a procession round Benin City jubilating with the citizens, not just us but with the people.”
“Even when we went to collect the certificate of return, I am sure those of you who went with us you saw market women from Oregbeni and Agbado market on our way to Ring Road; we jubilated.”
“We have a musical concert at Ring Road. What kind of jubilation are they expecting; do they want us to go and break our heads?”
“What you now find one week after are contrived protests reminiscence of students protest over feeding allowances. That cannot be a political reaction to the election that was conducted on the 28th of September.”
“If you recall immediately after that declaration, the streets of Benin were full of protests not of politicians, of citizens, voters who voted in that election, expressing themselves on their own behalf.”
“No, you can distinguish that with what is going on here. The day Godwin Obaseki was declared the winner, I was with him and he made an acceptance speech and we drove round Benin City in a procession celebrating and jubilating with people of Benin, there were not protests on streets.”