Ahead of the October 22, 2013 Bye election for the Esan North East Local Government of Edo State, claimed its first casualty with the death of a member of the opposition party in the council area.
The incident started at Efandion Primary School premises, where the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) youths were holding strategic meeting ahead of the poll and also awaiting the arrival of Mr. John Yakubu, to address them.
Though the identity of the deceased could not be ascertained as at the time of this report, it was however gathered that the target was the PDP youth mobiliser in the council area, Monday Lucky.
It was learned that lucky, an 18-years old boy, well loved by the people, have been a threat to ‘capture’ the council area by the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC).
The reason why the APC are bent on taking over the local government area by all means is the seeming raging political differences between the Adams Oshionmhole led APC State government and Chief Tony Anineh, the Board of Trustees (BOT) Chairman of the PDP, who is revered in the area.
However, Lucky, described as Anineh Junior, because of his political prowess, even at a relatively young age, have been busy canvassing votes for his party, especially among the youths.
As a member of the PDP at ward 8, Lucky, on his own was said to have relocated to Uromi, the council’s headquarters, following the demise of his grand mother and younger sister during the Jos religious crisis that broke out soon after his father left for a peace keeping mission outside the country.
The build up to the local government bye-election in the council have seen Lucky, often referred to as ‘political dinosaur’ in the area, arrested severally in a bid to silent him.
The PDP chairıman in the local government, Hon. Ben Idemudia, described the situation as “Ungodly” the politics being played by the ruling party.
Idemudia lamented that the police and other security agencies in the state that are meant to play in neutral role, have taken side with the APC.
“It was for this reason that the hoodlums who attacked and killed one of our own youth, were aided to carry out that attack by the police.
“We are helpless and it is quite unfortunately that things have turned out like this. Our pain now is that our youth mobilizer, Lucky, who has been the target of this attack, have not been seen by anybody since the dastardly act.
“Several other youths who were severely injured and others who receive wounds from gunshot as a result of this attack, are currently receiving treatment in the hospital while many others are forcefully arrested by the police and are now reminded in the police custody waiting to be charge to court.
“Not only is the boy life under threat, his family had known no peace since this whole issue started, it got to a boilig point when his uncle’s house where he (Lucky) lives was razed down by arsonists.
“The police have not only failed to assist us in preventing break down of law and order, but they have said that the PDP youth mobilizer Lucky, was responsible for the attack by attributing it to issue of cultism.
“This position by the police is quite unfortunate, considering the fact that some of these people have been severally used to reach out to this boy to sell the party out,” he stated.
It would be recalled that similar situation had played out during the April 20 local government elections in the State, a situation that resulted into the inability of election to be conducted in Esan North East local government Area for severally months.
The council election which has suffered several postponement due to associated violence, have been scheduled to be conducted on October 22, 2013.
