By Eben Enasco
Chief Patrick Eholor, a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP) in Edo State, is alleging that he was molested by a group of suspected hoodlums during the collation of the State House of Assembly results at Urhokpota Hall, Ring Road Benin City.
Eholor told the press on Sunday that the suspected hoodlums allegedly acted on the order of the Chief of Staff to the Edo State Governor, Osaigbovo Iyoha when he raised the alarm over the manipulation of results in which, according to him, his party was overwhelmingly taking a lead.
He accused the Police of looking away, while the attackers shoved him after the alleged order by the Edo State Chief of Staff.
According to Eholor, he attempted to reach the Edo State Police Commissioner, Dankwara Mohammed who would go ahead to assure him of protection but dashed his hopes after several minutes of waiting without a response from the Police chief.
Although CP Dankwara Mohammed is the State Police Commissioner, he is not the Commissioner on election duty in Edo State.
Benjamin Okolo was redeployed from Bayelsa State where he is serving as the current commissioner of Police to Edo State as the commissioner on election duty
Eholor’s claims were, however, refuted by Osaigbovo Iyoha, the Chief of staff to Governor Godwin Obaseki, when contacted for comments on the allegations.
Iyoha said despite the claims of Chief Eholor, the LP chieftain had no business coming to the collation center at Urhokpota to disrupt the electoral process.
But Chief Eholor said his life was saved by one Courageous Nigerian, Austin V Boot who stopped them from harming him after the alleged Iyoha’s directive “to take him out”, describing it as a shame.
The labor party Chieftain also faulted the electoral process across the country, accusing the Security Operatives and the Electoral umpire of playing the gods.
While condemning the voting process, he said a certain MC Olu Omo in Lagos State should have been arrested for his recent statement laced with tribal sentiments against the Ibo race.
Eholor explained that such statements can set the country into division, adding that Nigeria remains one indivisible entity.
It would be recalled that after the February 25, Presidential and National Assembly elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) moved the States House of Assembly and governorship elections from March 11 to 18, 2023.
INEC’s decision was after some aggrieved political parties requested the Court to order the electoral umpire to allow them to inspect the BIVAS, following their discontent over the conduct of the presidential and National Assembly elections.
