BY SIMON EBEGBULEM
THE Edo State Police Command, yesterday, paraded 12 suspected armed robbers and kidnappers, just as it disclosed that the attack on Senator Ehigie Uzamere was that of robbery and not an assassination attempt.

This is coming as tension heightened in the state, yesterday, when armed men attacked a Chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in Owan  East Local Government Area of the  state, Mr Andrew Osigwe.

Similarly, former Deputy Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Mr Omo Ezomo, yesterday, alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has perfected plans to disrupt  tomorrow’s election in areas regarded as Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, strong holds in Owan West with a view to rig the election.

Ezomo also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and all security agents to be vigilant,  vowing that the people of the area would resist any attempt to rig the election by the PDP.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, also accused Governor Adams Oshiomhole of recruiting cultists for tomorrow’s  election with a view to cause violence in the state.

The state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Anselm Ojezua,  denied the allegations, saying that the governor only held meeting with heads of  security agencies in the state so as to ensure peaceful elections.

It will be recalled that the Senator had escaped death penultimate week when armed men attacked his convoy. But his orderly was not that lucky as he was shot dead while his driver also received gun shot injuries.

However, the Assistant Commissioner of Police in the state, Oga Ero, who paraded the suspects, including,  two, who were involved in the attack on Uzamere, described the senator’s orderly, who lost his life as a gallant officer due to the bravery he displayed by shooting one of the armed men dead before he gave up the ghost.

“We arrested many of them from different parts of the state following a tip off. We had adopted proactive measures to ensure that criminals are not comfortable here,” he said.

In a statement, yesterday, by PDP Director of Publicity, Okharedia Ihimekpen, it alleged that the governor “assembled various cult groups led by one notorious ex-jail bird, who also doubles as a revenue agent of the government at Government House and gave them martial plan of how they would be distributed to different poling booths to disrupt voting and subsequently to rig elections.”

But Ojezua denied the allegation, saying “cannot be true because there is overwhelming support for the governor and the party by the people, therefore, it is the duty of government and the party to ensure that the election is successful. If you noticed, the PDP has not been campaigning for the last two weeks now, they have rather been meeting on how to thwart the election and in their failure to do that, cause violence”.