EDO 2020: APC, PDP bicker over do-or-die antics

 THE All Progressives Congress, APC, and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were at each other’s jugular, yesterday, over alleged do-or-die approach to win the September 19 governorship election in Edo State.

The APC threw the first punch saying in a statement by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr Yekini Nabena, that it would embrace issue-based campaigns and avoid PDP’s ‘’do-or-die rhetoric and scare tactics.’’

APC’s attack elicited a prompt response from the PDP, which in a statement by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Diran Odeyemi, asked the APC to stop playing with words “now that their plan to manipulate the Edo governorship election has been uncovered.”

The bickering raged as the PDP caucus of the House of Representatives berated the Inspector General of Police, IGP, and the Attorney General of the Federation and Justice Minister, over their alleged roles in last week’s invasion of the Edo House of Assembly by security agents and the police.

Cautioning politicians and the parties against tension and violence, some Civil Society Organisations said the election was not worth the blood of Edo citizens.

Indeed, a frontline business mogul and philanthropist, Captain Hosa Okunbo, advised the Edo political class to eschew violence and emulate former President Goodluck Jonathan, who in 2015 said his re-election was not worth the blood of any Nigerian and did not display desperation to win at all cost when the tide changed.

Meanwhile, leaders of the two parties boasted about their chances of winning the election, yesterday, with APC Caretaker Committee/Special Convention Committee, Governor Mai-Mala Buni of Yobe State saying the party’s candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu would win the poll.

However, Senior Special Adviser to Governor Godwin Obaseki, Sixtus Omokhagbor, said the achievements of the governor in the past four years were enough to see him continue in office for another four years.