By Milcah Tanimu
With the Edo Governorship election slated for September 2024, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State has lodged a petition with the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, alleging that Governor Godwin Obaseki is using the State Police Command to intimidate its members. The APC’s state chairman, Jarrett Tenebe, claims the governor plans to arrest him on spurious charges during the inauguration of the party’s State Governorship Campaign Council.
Dated June 13 and titled “A Case of Executive Intimidation, Political Harassment, and Baseless Accusation by the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki,” the petition accuses the governor of using security forces to suppress opposition. Tenebe asserts that Obaseki deploys both conventional and self-created security apparatuses to intimidate political adversaries, particularly during the election period.
Tenebe’s petition describes how he was summoned to attend an interview with the Commissioner of Police over a petition allegedly filed by the governor. He claims that police officers visited the APC secretariat and that he was informed of plans to arrest him at the party’s campaign council inauguration.
The APC chairman has called for the IGP’s intervention, requesting that any investigation be transferred to the IGP’s office to ensure impartiality and justice, citing concerns over unwarranted harassment and political intimidation by the governor.