The chairman of Esan North-East local government area of Edo State, Hon. Kelly Inedegbor, on Sunday, raised the alarm that the allegation of gun-running against him by an arrested armed thug was orchestrated by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state over what he described as the towering popularity of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the LGA ahead of the September 21 governorship election.
He also accused the APC of masterminding the plot to frame him up all in a bid to get him out of circulation, adding that he has never been involved in gun-running neither arming any youth to protect him.
The LGA boss’ reaction came at a press conference after a viral video that surfaced showed the arrested armed youth in Uromi with two locally-made cut to size guns, accusing the local government chairman of arming him to protect him when the PDP held a political rally for the party’s governorship candidate and his running mate.
Inedegbor, who expressed shock at the allegation, said: “the allegation by the said young man is completely baseless and unfounded. It is the hirelings of the opposition who are hell-bent in tarnishing my image. I don’t know him and I have never met him in my life.
“I want it to be on record that I’m not into gun-running or giving gun to anybody, it is not in my character.”
He added that the petition against him by the acting chairman of APC of destroying APC billboards wa malicious and another attempt to malign his character with the intention to persecute him.
“What we have heard is that the opposition party leaders, particularly some party officials at the national level, orchestrated it with the aim to get me out of circulation before the election,” the Esan North-East local government chairman claimed.
