THE Legacy PDP in Edo State on Friday described the arrest of Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Johnson Alalibo, purportedly ordered by Governor Godwin Obaseki as the height of ‘executive rascality’ and ‘political frustration.’
The main body of PDP in Edo State said such action does not represent the ideals of the Party and that the governor must understand that we are in a democracy and not in a military dictatorship.
In a statement signed by the interim Secretary of the body, Dele Elempe, he said, “Obaseki is acting as if he is ruling under a junta and so he is above the law. He must be reminded that we are in a democracy and the sacrosanctity of the law and due processes cannot be discounted.
“Ideally, if there is anything against the REC, it should be been officially communicated through the Chairman of the Commission for investigation rather than this Gestapo, jackboot and boot-charge abduction style of arrest. This is not only a smark of authoritarianism, it has all the trappings of barbarism.
As claimed by one of the government’s propaganda online newspaper, midwestherald.com, the REC was arrested because he ordered his staff to stop taking documents from the Edo State Chairman, Tony Aziegbemi, but only from Chief Hilary Otsu, the Secretary to the Party.
“Several times we have asked Obaseki and his followers to take time out to get acquainted with the PDP Constitution (as amended) and then the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended). If they had been acquainted with these two public documents, they would have known that it is solely the duty of the Secretary of the Party to communicate officially with the public (including INEC), not the Chairman.
“We call for the unconditional release of Mr. Johnson Alalibo and unobstructed freedom in the discharge of his official duties. We advise the Edo State Government to askew such illegalities. We also call for the investigation of the Edo State Commissioner of Police by the Inspector General for allowing himself to be used by the governor for such a clandestine anti-democratic mission.”
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