PDP plans trumped up charges against ACN candidates – Akpatason
BY SIMON EBEGBULEM
BENIN – THE Edo North senatorial candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and former President of the
National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Mr Peter Akpatason, weekend, raised fresh alarm
over alleged plans by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to file frivolous charges against ACN candidates in
the state so as to distract them ahead of weekend’s National Assembly elections.
Briefing newsmen in Benin City, Edo State, yesterday, Akpatason and Deacon Domingo Obende, said that it was
clear that the PDP in the state was “becoming too desperate.” Deacon Obende, who read a joint statement by the
ACN chieftains said that Akpatason had also been invited to Abuja. He said, “last week, a detachment of police
officers from Abuja visited me at my residence in Igarra, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area and presented a
frivolous petition against me by the Leader of the House of Representatives, Col. Tunde Akogun (rtd). They
(police) invited me to Abuja, tomorrow.
“This is a calculated attempt to distract us from our campaigns. This witch-hunt is not only targeted at me,
the House of Representatives candidate for Akoko-Edo Federal Constituency, Akpatason, is another chieftain of
the party, whom the police had invited to Abuja on trumped up charges,” he said.
He added that “while they may go on with these Gestapo tactics, we are using this opportunity to call on the
international communities, election observers and monitors and lovers of democracy to prevail on PDP to put a
stop to these illegalities. The ACN is a broad-based political party that is concerned with the peaceful
advancement of the rights of Nigerians and no amount of intimidation and harassment can deter us as law abiding citizens.”
He recalled that “just last week, one of our party chieftains in Edo Central, Chief Francis Inegbeneki and four
others were arrested and whisked to Abuja, where they were incarcerated. In Edo South, an attempt to gun down the senatorial candidate of ACN, Senator Ehigie Uzamere, failed as he escaped death by the whiskers but his
security detail was killed by the yet-to-be identified assailants.
“Edo North Senatorial District has not been spared from this unconventional style to silence our members at all cost in the state because of their (PDP) desperation to win the forthcoming elections which is a tall order,” he added.
