By Lucky Isibor
There was pandemonium at a PDP rally organised in Benin City, Thursday to receive a former Chairman of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Council and former Chairman of Edo state chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, Hon. Itohan Osahon Ogbeide, who defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC as youths suspected to be thugs from one of the rival political parties disrupted the event.
The thugs who came to the Ugbekun, Upper Sokponba venue of the rally with dangerous weapons started shouting on top of their voice, singing, dancing and ringing bells in a bid to disrupt proceedings at the rally.
Trouble started when Hon. Itohan started addressing the rally as the youths started throwing away chairs, destroying some of the musical equipment at the event.
Earlier, Edo state chairman of PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, while addressing Hon. Itohan and the over two thousand defectors from APC, urged the party faithful to brace up for the task of rescuing the country from what he called the APC misrule.
Orbih said it is time up for the ruling party as no amount of threat, intimidation, persecution and prosecution of opposition leaders on trump up charges will deter them in the onerous task of ousting the APC in next year election.
The Edo party boss remarked that the state and federal government are liable for the present climate of hate in the state, adding that harvest of decampees was a sign of the impending defeat of the ruling party.
Speaking amidst thunderous applause, Hon. Itohan Osahon Ogbeide said that her decision to quit the APC stems from the suffering and Insecurity foisted on the nation by the APC government as women can no longer go to farm for fear of being raped by Fulani herdsmen.
Speaking further, she said having reached the limit of her endurance in a failed APC government, she decided to dump the party before it gets too late.
She said: “You are all witness to my performance as Chairman of Ikpoba/Okha local government. If they say, I am not important why are they panicky and bringing in thugs to disrupt the rally? I have done a lot for the council and that is exactly why they are threatened and jealous by my decision to leave the APC. Today I am leaving the APC for the PDP with over 2,000 of my supporters.”
Thursday’s disruption of PDP rally is coming on the heels of the recent assault on Senator Matthew Urhoghide (Edo South) at the Benin Airport by suspected hoodlums for reportedly moving a motion for the impeachment of Buhari.
Three of the suspected hoodlums were seen, being whisked away by the police, but the Edo State Police Spokesman, Mr. Chidi Nwanbuzor said he was not aware of the mayhem and promised to check out with the local police division in charge of the area.
Nwanbuzor, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, refused to answer subsequent calls on his mobil phone and also did not call back as initially promised.
Present at the well attended rally were Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, PDP governorship candidate in the 2016 governorship election, Deacon Nosa Ehima, PDP vice chairman, Edo south, Chris Nehikhare, state publicity secretary of the party among other party chieftains.
When it is now PDP they say it is thugs, but if it were to be APC, it would be a party of commotion