Edo 2020: Shots fired as deputy house leader alleges plot to discredit poll

THERE were gunshots in Uneme-Nekhua in Ward, Akoko-Edo local government area but the Deputy Majority leader of the House of Representatives, Hon Peter Akpatason, said the incident was orchestrated by persons he said wanted to discredit the votes in the area.

Addressing Journalists, Akpatason said one of the known thugs hauled pebbles at the voters with the intension of discouraging them and that the pebbles eventually shattered windscreen of vehicles.

“Well, I think the first thing we need to look out, is the level of political consciousness in the place, the turnout. It is around 2 pm and you can still see that people are still voting. We are a community that is highly politically conscious. “It is not unusual that sometimes, people disagree but it becomes worrisome when it’s obvious that it is politically motivated with the view of discrediting, creating a ground for the cancellation of this genuine and legitimate results.

“This was predicted, there was a prediction, it is written all over the press that some people were planning to attack this voting centre. Right from last night, they have been hovering around everywhere, we kept vigil to make sure that the untold doesn’t happen but eventually, some miscreants decided to be unruly to the extent that a known person resulted to throw pebbles to disperse people who have come to vote so that they will not vote, believed that it was an intent to ensure that we don’t get maximum votes in this place or to cause chaos that could possibly lead to the discrediting the results.

“I thanked God that my people are very mature, they have handled the whole thing with a high sense of responsibility but however, every act of crime will surely be accounted for. As a result of that, I am going to go ahead to an incident the report of one little boy who was trying to throw missiles at innocent voters to the extent of hitting my own car.

“In this community, we know that it is some people that are behind them but we know that they are losers, and as losers, they will always do everything to scuttle the peaceful, the credible voting process that has always taken place, that was taken and is still taking place in this community”, he said. Akpatason, however, expressed optimism that the APC governorship candidate will emerge victorious at the polls. “Victory for APC, a victory for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, a victory for Mallam Gani Audu,” he said.

Though there was vote-buying in some of the polling units, it was not as expected initially. There is also an institution in some quarters that the rain that fell on Friday, brought about the peace that characterized the election in most quarters. Vanguard