- Safiu Kehinde
A man bearing a gun was on Wednesday morning sighted near the sitting of the election tribunal sitting in Benin, the Edo state capital.
The man, ostensibly wearing a PDP branded t-shirt was seen parading the street for some minutes just as he wielded the Pump action gun shouting “Una must give us our mandate.”
The Edo State Election Petition Tribunal is sitting at the premises of the Court over the petition filed by the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party Asue Ighodalo against the state governor and winner of the election, Monday Okpebholo.
Ostensibly wearing fabrics that could suggest that he is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, many have expressed doubt about the possibility of a PDP member seeking to disrupt the court proceedings over a petition it filed.
However, popular Nigerian socialite, Isaac Fayose, has in a post on his Instagram page, alleged that the man is a member of the All Progressive Congress (APC) posing as a PDP supporter in an effort to disrupt the tribunal proceedings.
The brother of former Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Faysose, held that the PDP never authorized any of its members or support group to be present at the court premises as he called on security agencies to apprehend the imposters.
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has uncovered plans by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to orchestrate violence aimed at disrupting Tribunal proceedings.
“We have credible information that individuals posing as PDP supporters have been mobilized by the APC to cause chaos at the High Court premises.
“The PDP has not authorized or invited any of its members or support groups to be present at the court. The individuals currently assembling outside the court premises are imposters.
“We call on security agencies to take immediate notice of this situation and ensure the safety of Judges, lawyers, and all parties involved in the Tribunal process.” Isaac Fayose wrote.
Similarly, a related post on X alleged that the gun-wielding man is an Edo APC hired thug.
As seen in one of the videos attached to the post, the man was picked up by a white Hilux van few minutes after pacing around the court premises demanding of the return of the stolen mandate.