The All-Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo state has petitioned the Inspector General of Police IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, asking him to stop the state governor, Godwin Obaseki, from using the state police command to arrest its chairman, Jarrett Tenebe, over what it called “trumped up charges.”
The petition dated June 13 2024 and titled, “a case of executive intimidation political harassment and baseless accusation by the Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki”, the chairman of the party in the state, Jarrett Tenebe, said the plan is to arrest him on Friday, during the party’s inauguration of its state governorship campaign council.
The petition read, “I am the chairman of the All-Progressives Congress, Edo state chapter and have the honour and privilege to bring to your attention the high level of intimidation and harassment being orchestrated by the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki. While it is safe under the Freedom of Information Act that anyone who feels dissatisfied with any policy implementation of the government at any level can ask questions about same, the governor does not see to the effectiveness of any opposition to his government policies.
“To make good his threat of strangulating any opposition, he deploys all forms of security apparatus within the state both conventional and self-created, to carry out his vindictiveness. He has promised to deal mercilessly with any person who dares him particularly at this time of our electioneering in the state.
“Against the backdrop of the aforesaid, he has deployed the office of the commissioner of police to cause my arrest just for political reasons. I have been informed at my party secretariat that in my absence, police brought an invitation for me to be interviewed by the commissioner of police over a petition written against me by the governor.
“Information at my disposal is that the governor has ordered the police to lay siege to my party secretariat where we are to perform the inauguration of our campaign council tomorrow with a view to arresting me just to score a political point. I thereby solicit your timely intervention by transferring the said case if any to your office for a discreet investigation. I count on your esteemed office in doing justice to this unwarranted harassment.”
The petition was copied to the chairman, senate committee on police affairs as well as the chairman, police service commission (PSC).
