Edo APC Expels PDP From Its Party Secretariat Forcefully Taken Over Four Years Ago

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With power changing hands in Edo State following the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo in the September 21, 2024 governorship election in the state, the party on Thursday in a commando style, flushed out the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from its party secretariat at 59, Airport Road in Benin City, four years after it was forcefully taken over by the then ruling party.

The immediate past governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki, had converted the property to the use of his new party after he dumped the APC to contest for a second term in office on the platform of the PDP and won.

The development has heightened political tension in the state coming barely 24 hours after the shooting episode on Wednesday near the state High Court along Sapele Road where the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal is sitting.

Storming the secretariat accompanied by armed policemen, the APC members expelled everybody from the premises, including the state chairman of the PDP, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, workers and security guards. They also tore the huge banner of the party in front of the building and forced their way into some of the offices.

Dr. Aziegbemi was escorted out of the building by the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku.

At the conference hall of the reclaimed secretariat, the acting state chairman of the APC, Jarret Tenebe and other leaders addressed the press, explaining that the property rightfully belonged to the APC as they had renewed the rent for a period of seven years before the PDP, with the help of ex-Godwin Obaseki, forcefully took it from them.

Going down memory lane, Tenebe said, “about four years ago, APC made frantic effort to extend the rentage of this particular building which has always been the office of the APC. If you search on google, you will discover that this secretariat still reads “APC’s office”. The party in the state approached the national office to arrange so that we will be able to pay for more years for the rentage of this facility. The national obliged us and sent us money to renew it for seven years.

“The Governor then, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, decamped to PDP and in a military way, they took us out of this secretariat, destroyed all our properties, took our vehicles, and drove us out of this place.

“At that time, we complained to the Inspector General of Police and he, in his wisdom agreed that we should take over the secretariat. But because the Commissioner of Police in the state was working hand in hand with the then governor, they refused to allow us access. Then, I was the deputy chairman of APC”.

Tenebe, who said he came into office with a commitment to reclaim the state and redress all the wrongs done by the PDP and Godwin Obaseki, recalled that “The day I became the chairman of the party in the state, I made two promises to our party faithful: to make sure that APC takes over the state; and to ensure that all the properties taken from the APC are returned to them.

“Some few months ago, there was governorship election in this state, and everybody can attest to it that Senator Monday Okpebholo emerged as the governor of the state, fulfilling one of the promises I made to our party faithful.

“Today is the happiest day of my life that I am fulfilling the second promise I made to my party to make sure all the properties taken from APC are returned. That is why we are here today. To take over the secretariat that was forcefully taken from us”.

Tenebe said the APC would remodel the building into its official pattern, and promised to resist any attempt by any group, or vested interest to displace them from the property, or any of their other properties.

According to him, “Today, we have taken over this secretariat. It belongs to us now; we are going to allocate offices today. We have also called the painters to repaint this place to APC colour today, because this place rightfully belongs to us.

“We are ready to resist anybody that will try to make any noise or try to do anything with everything that we have”.

To secure the place, hundreds of youths believed to be members of the ruling party, all dressed in black, and several armed policemen were stationed inside and outside the building.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Ben Abang, accompanied by other senior police officers, was also at the newly reclaimed APC secretariat to get a firsthand brief on the development as he interacted with chairman and other top party executives.

When contacted for the party’s reaction, the state publicity secretary of the PDP, Chris Nehikhare said the chairman would issue a statement on the development soon.