A chieftain of the Labour Party (LP) in Edo State, Chief Patrick Eholor, on Sunday, accused the Chief of Staff to Governor Godwin Obaseki, Osaigbovo Iyoha, of orchestrating an attack on his person at the Urokpota Hall venue of Oredo local government area Collation Centre on Saturday, where the results of the State House of Assembly elections were being collated.
But, in a swift reaction, Iyoha when contacted, denied the allegation and accused Eholor of rather coming to disrupt the process of election results collation in the centre.
Addressing a press conference at his residence in Benin City on Sunday, Eholor also carpeted the entire election exercise from February 25 to the last Saturday’s election which he said were compromised.
He said, “I was molested in my State. I went to Urokpota Hall where they took the materials to after collating at George Idah, I saw the police standing, we were winning overwhelmingly but in that place, they were changing the results and I said this cannot happen, not when I am alive.
“But the Chief of Staff to the governor, Osaigbovo Iyoha, who was trying to subvert the will of the people did not do well. Before I could say jack at the collation centre, Osaigbovo ordered his thugs to take me out, take him out means kill him, but there was one Austin V Boot who stopped them from harming me.
“He hurriedly took me to the car and told me to leave, the Police were there and they did nothing, I sent a message to the Commissioner of Police and he told me he didn’t have network and I believe he was compromised but I am going to take this to higher authorities to ensure that I get justice.”
On the other hand, Iyoha, however, said: “I am shocked at this allegation which ordinarily should not merit a response. However, we were at the collation centre and I was assisting in collating the result of my ward, I was engrossed in the process and suddenly I started hearing grumblings and noises. I was forced to look up then I saw that somebody was being pushed out and he was shouting, but to ensure that there was peace, I immediately told somebody to help calm the situation and I am shocked he is now holding me responsible.
“If I may ask, was he supposed to be in that place at that time of the election? There are laws guiding elections and in a collation centre, there are regulations guiding who should be there and how they should conduct themselves. So, was he expected to be there at that time? He is only making unfounded allegations against me,” the Governor’s aide stated.
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