TELL Magazine

Statement by Olumide Osaigbovo Akpata, governorship candidate of the Labour Party, LP in the September 21 Gubernatorial election in Edo State on Saturday April 13, 2024, following attack on him by students at the University of Benin

“Good morning, Nigerians. Good morning, good people of Edo State. I am Olumide Osaigbovo Akpata, the Labour Party candidate in the upcoming gubernatorial election in Edo State. It is 2.30 am today the 13th of April 2024. I just finished a meeting with some of my associates and I was on my way to bed when my staff drew my attention to a video that is making the rounds currently of an individual who claims to have been shot at an event that I attended yesterday. He claims to have been shot by security agents at that event. I have looked at the video; nothing can be further from the truth. I only wished that this individual would show his face so that we can determine the veracity of his story because as far as I know, this story varies from actually what happened yesterday.

“What happened yesterday? I was invited to the University of Benin Senior Staff Club to hold an interactive session with members of that club who are senior staff of that institution. I am told that a similar event occurred at the same club a couple of weeks ago where the PDP candidate in the upcoming Edo State governorship election was also the guest of honour. At this event, I spoke extensively to members of the club, and we exchanged ideas. To our surprise, and to our consternation, this event was interrupted very rudely by some hoodlums who claimed to be students of University of Benin.

“They disrupted the event for well over one hour, insisting that that event ought not to have been held without their being informed. You can imagine how shocked we were; you can imagine how shocked the professors and senior members of staff of the university seated there to be told by strangers – because we don’t want to believe that these were students at the University of Benin – that they cannot hold, or could not hold such an event, in their own club without seeking permission from these third parties.

This event could not hold indeed because of the actions of these students; it was indeed disrupted. They barricaded the gate to the premises with their vehicles, there was fracas in the precincts of the club, and one lecturer was actually injured in the process; he was wounded seriously, and he is currently in the hospital. I had to be taken out of the premises by my security personnel. And even as we attempted to leave Ugbowo campus of the University of Benin, we found that the highway had been barricaded by these same hoodlums who attempted to impede our journey and stop us from progressing.

It took the intervention of my security personnel to actually dislodge this barricade and for us to continue on our journey.

“We know what is going on. It is election season again in Edo State and it is quite obvious some of our old and very tired politicians are up to their usual antics, their usual tricks. They have learnt nothing; they will forget nothing. I have it on good authority that these hoodlums were deployed by a senior official of the Edo State government and I’m speaking directly to this individual. I know you; you know me. I am no pushover. Labour Party will not be intimidated by you, by your paymasters, or by your minions. If it is your intention to cause mayhem, and to cause havoc in Edo State, we will resist you. You will not be allowed to reduce our state to nothingness. You have done enough damage as it were; we will not stand for this. The will of the people will not be subverted; the will of the people must prevail.

At the right time, we will make the necessary report to the police authorities, and we will provide for them the information we have at our disposal regarding this event. For now, let me just place on record that at no time was a student of the University of Benin shot at, or even wounded. The video making the round is a fabrication. It was obviously deployed to bring about misinformation. Indeed, I was the one who was attacked; the club was attacked, professors at the University of Benin were threatened. One lecturer at the University of Benin is in hospital as we speak. I ask my supporters; I ask my friends and associates; I ask all of you to keep calm. Reason would prevail, and peaceful elections will hold in Edo State come September 2024 by the grace of Almighty God.