Edo 2020: PDP fingers Tinubu, Aregbesola in plot to rig poll

By Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has raised the alarm over the politically motivated deployment of Mr. Adeyinka Fasiu Ayinla as the State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).
In a statement signed by the State Publicity Secretary and Chairman, Sub-Committee on Media and Publicity, Edo 2020 Campaign Council, Chris Osa Nehikhare, said the party totally rejects the deployment of Mr. Ayinla to the state in the run up to the polls, scheduled for September 19, 2020.
According to him, “Once again, the Edo PDP restates its commitment to a peaceful, free and fair governorship election on September 19, 2020. We are, however, taken aback by the resolve of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to win the election by all means foul!
“The latest of such evil plot of the APC to win the election through foul and unfair means is the redeployment of Mr Ayinla as the commandant of the NSCDC. The posting by the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, is politically motivated and a plot to rig the governorship election.”
The Publicity Secretary said the new state commandant is a lackey of a leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and has worked closely with him in the past, noting that the party’s findings also showed that the new Edo NSCDC head is of a rank that is above his new posting as state commandant.
Nehikhare wondered: “What then could make Ogbeni Aregbesola, himself Tinubu’s man Friday, post Ayinla to Edo? We are convinced that Mr Ayinla may have been posted to Edo to do dirty jobs for the APC.”
He added, “Only this week, Nigerians watched a short video of a former national chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, telling the Chief of Staff to President Buhari to arrest some people. We had previously watched with disdain how the candidate of APC was inciting and motivating thugs that referred to themselves as lions and tigers to cause disruption and maximum carnage on Election Day.
“Today, they are posting a personal nominee of Tinubu to superintend elections in Edo. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, there is only one conclusion, It is a DUCK! Shame they want to compromise the NSCDC to gain undue influence. With the turn of events and revelations, we are skeptical of the plans the APC-led federal government has for INEC, Police and other security agencies.”
Calling on the President to rein in members of the APC, he said, “We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to call his party men to order. Edo people want their votes to count and they are prepared to defend their votes. No amount of intimidation or threat will scare them from exercising their rights.
“We advise leaders of the Edo APC to focus on marketing their candidate instead of concentrating on plots to rig and scuttle the forthcoming election.”