By Simon Ebegbulem
BENIN—Former Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, weekend, raised an alarm over alleged plans by the Action Congress, AC, led government in the state to stagger the conduct of the forthcoming local government area election in the state  to rig the election.

Chief Anenih, who made the allegation at a rally where over one thousand members of the Action Congress in Edo North senatorial district led by the immediate past chairman of the Committee on Protection of Government Property, Chief Sylvanus Eruaga, were received in Auchi,  alleged that the state Governor, Mr Adams Oshiomhole and the AC,  had perfected plans to conduct the local government area elections in the 18 councils of the state on different days  “because the Governor and his AC knows that they will not win the election if it was held on the same day.”

But in a swift reaction, the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Anslem Ojezua, described the allegation as “ridiculous”, adding,  “it should be dismissed by serious minded people because Chief Anenih had been consigned to history politically in this state since the inception of the Oshiomhole-led government that has brought hope to the people of the state.”

However, Chief Anenih warned against such a plan, saying the PDP and the people of the state would wait to see how the plan could be achieved, just as he commended the decampees, saying that those who went to AC from the PDP over the lure of automatic tickets were already returning to PDP because the original members of the AC were giving them a good fight.

Earlier, the state PDP chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, faulted the decision of AC to concede the Edo North senatorial seat to Akoko Edo Local Government Area of the district, saying that such a decision negated the principles of true democracy and the philosophy of one man, one vote.

Chief Eruaga explained that they left the AC for the PDP because the AC led government had failed, adding that “we discovered that the leaders are even more dictatorial than the PDP leaders. So we decided to move to the PDP because that is the true party of the people.”