EDO State All Progressives Congress (APC) and a former National Chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun, yesterday, clashed words over what it characterised as unpaid debts allegedly owed by Oyegun. In a statement, APC State Chairman Jarrett Tenebe said that Oyegun owed the party N150 million, which was a result of accumulated membership dues over a number of years and purported loans.Tenebe claimed that Oyegun had not complied with multiple official demands for restitution, claiming that the debt had accrued while Oyegun was listed as a party member.
“The APC in Edo State wishes to inform the general public that, as a law-abiding, people-centred political organisation, we have formally demanded the settlement of debts owed by the National Leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), John Odigie-Oyegun,” the statement read.
Tenebe said: “Our records also revealed accumulated membership dues which the ADC National Leader refused to pay into the party’s coffers all through the period of his membership of the APC.”
He continued by saying that Oyegun’s blatant disregard for his financial commitments to the party necessitated the public demand. Odigie-Oyegun responded to the accusations by calling them a symptom of fear within the ruling APC and dismissing them as unfounded.
The ADC’s national leader claimed that the accusations were motivated by the APC’s increasing disquiet after the ADC became a powerful political force.
“People will have a good laugh at that. All I can say is that, as negative as what they are doing is, it finally shows that they now know they have problems with the advent of the ADC,” he said.
He claimed that rather than engaging in productive political dialogue, the APC had reacted angrily to the ADC’s emergence.
“They now know they are in trouble. We are ready for them. Whatever they do, we are ready. They are finally acknowledging that there is a threat to them in Nigeria,” Oyegun stated.
The ADC leader went on to accuse the ruling party of using violence, intimidation, and derogatory language to bring Edo State into political disrepute. Meanwhile, in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) office has been stormed by alleged thugs. The thugs allegedly carried out the attack on Wednesday night at around 8:00 p.m., according to witnesses. Witnesses saw the thugs pour what they believed to be petrol around the building when they arrived in a white bus.
However, supporters had to step in and aid stop the structure from being entirely demolished. However, while a portion of the building was destroyed by fire, some of the billboards surrounding it were taken down.
The attack happened weeks after Jarret Tenebe, the Edo chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), threatened to forbid any opposition in the state, according to Kennedy Odion, the state chairman of the Edo ADC, who said the party had moved into the secretariat last month. In order to stop similar incidents in the future, he urged security services to capture the perpetrators and bring charges against them. Eno Ikoedem, the Edo State Police Public Relations Officer who was contacted and confirmed the attack, claimed that suspected criminals broke into the party’s location and damaged property.
