PDP Candidate Decries Thugs, Vigilantes Invasion In Edo By-Election

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the Ovia Federal Constituency, Rev. Johnny Akpitanyi, has raised concern over the alleged infiltration of his polling unit, Unit 7, in Oghede, Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State, by thugs and vigilantes.

He raised the concern while speaking with journalists in Benin City on Saturday.

Rev. Akpitanyi expressed regret that in this present time, the electorate were still not allowed to express their free will in an election.

“How can you see more than 150 vigilantes holding guns in a polling unit? It doesn’t make sense. In a polling unit, vigilantes holding guns? It doesn’t make sense. What are vigilantes doing in a polling unit? More than 150 of them,” Rev. Akpitanyi said.

The PDP candidate, while accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state of invading the polling unit with thugs and vigilantes, said if they felt that they and their candidate were popular and had delivered the dividends of democracy to the people, why populate the various polling units with thugs and vigilantes?

“If you know your party is good, if you know your party has done well, then why are you afraid? Why the vigilantes? Why the thugs everywhere? Allow people to go vote. If you feel your party, the APC, has done well or maybe you’ve done well for the people, then allow them to go vote so that their vote will count.

“So, this election violence here and there, it needs to stop and it’s going to stop now. That’s all I have to say for now. So, I’m precisely from Oghede,” Rev. Akpitanyi said.

He said he has instructed his teeming supporters to play by the rules of the game and should not take the law into their hands, adding that he was poised to follow the right channel to address his case.