Pandemonium broke loose on Thursday in Okpella, Estako East Local Government area of Edo State as supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP clashed with those of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
It was gathered that the incident started brewing in the early hours of yesterday when some PDP supporters were alleged to have threatened to carry out attack on any Okpellan supporting the ruling APC in Okpella.
The clash came barely some hours to the announcement of the postponement of Saturday, September 10 Edo State gubernatorial election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The clash is also coming barely three days after a youth body in Okpella, Okpella Youth Council, warned in a recent publication of a possible inversion of the community by thugs hired by unknown politicians in Okpella. It was also gathered that the youths were initially reacting to an alleged gun shot at the gate of a PDP stalwart in Okpella that took place at about 3am on Thursday.
According to an eyewitness and a victim of the attack who spoke on phone, Afebu Musa, said they summoned a meeting to explain more details to party supporters who were curious about the likelihood of the election in Edo State to hold on Saturday after reports from the police and DSS that there is a security threat in the state. Afebu said, “We were at a meeting when they were passing during their own campaign and they stopped shouting who is doing this here.
“I could hear some of them saying, this will not happen! How come they are still not been deflected? ” “As if the property they destroyed were not enough, they have chased my pregnant wife and one of my tenants who they injured from my house”. “I sneaked out of my house with the help of God and I don’t know how to go back home because the police in Okpella were helpless today at the scene of the incident”.
“We call on security agencies to help save us from the hands of these boys. We have been peaceful all this while and no one has found us wanting throughout the campaigns but I am surprise to see this happening.”
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/09/edo-election-tension-okpella-pdp-apc-supporters-clash/
