Ahead of the resume sitting by the Edo Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Wednesday, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC on Tuesday stormed the hotel where witnesses of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP lodged in Benin City . This comes amidst allegation of a clandestine meeting between Governor Monday Okpebholo and the EFCC Chairman, Olanipekun Olukoyede, in Abuja.
The said meeting allegedly took place just hours before the dramatic raid by EFCC operatives.
The timing of the alleged meeting has raised eyebrows, particularly as it occurred when lawyers to Senator Okpebholo successfully pleaded for an adjournment of the Election Petition Tribunal commencement date from Monday, the 13th, to Wednesday, the 15th. The EFCC raid on the hotel unfolded less than 24 hours before proceedings were set to begin.
The said meeting has set tongues wagging in the state by agitated indigenes even though details of the said emeeting remain unknown. This is all the more so given the public threats by the Acting Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Emperor Jarrett Tenebe.
Tenebe had in a chilling remark, threatened that anyone who dared to come out to testify on behalf of the PDP candidate would be framed for the murder of a police officer and be arrested.
The EFCC raid, which played out in dramatic fashion, saw plainclothes operatives storm the hotel and attempt to whisk away a witness. Chaos ensued when the witness raised an alarm, prompting intervention from other hotel guests. Eyewitnesses report that the operatives refused to identify themselves, leading to tensions that nearly spiraled out of control.
It took the personal intervention of the candidate of the PDP, Asue Ighodalo, and his lead counsel, Barrister Ken Mozia SAN, who were both at the hotel at the time, to calm the situation.
A video of the incident, now viral on social media, shows Ighodalo urging restraint and de-escalation even as tensions flared.
Senior EFCC officers in their signature red vests eventually arrived at the scene, only to abruptly leave with their team after claiming they had no intention of harassing or intimidating witnesses; calling it an unfortunate coincidence. However, the timing of the raid and the absence of any formal explanation for their actions has sparked widespread condemnation and accusations of political interference by the Edo State Government.
Critics have pointed out that the raid is part of a pattern of intimidation tactics deployed against the PDP candidate.
