…Cart away money, office equipment; Chairman escapes death
The crisis rocking the Edo state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, turned bloody yesterday as scores of thugs invaded the Egor Local Government Secretariat of the party and chased away the chairman, Manfred Ekundayo.
Ekundayo who escaped death by the whiskers told newsmen that the thugs were led by one Chief Odion Olaye. He said the thugs who invaded the premises fully armed with guns and other dangerous weapons shot sporadically into the air, thereby chasing people within the vicinity away.
The chairman, who reiterated that his party is well-organized, noted that Olaye who came into our party not up to seven months ago could lead motor park touts to invade the office.
“He and his men came fully armed with axes, pump action guns. It was only God Almighty that saved my life,” Ekundayo lamented.
“The thugs broke into the office, carted away about N580,000 inside my table drawer, laptops, set of computers, a Generator and many other things from the party Secretariat.”
He said Olaye and his hoodlums cannot remove me and his secretary because they don’t have the constitutional power. “Who was there with him during his kangaroo meeting: no ward Chairmen, no Local Government Executives? So, please disregard his ranting. We are in charge.”
Ekundayo said Olaye boasted during the attack that Governor Godwin Obaseki has made him the Coordinator of PDP in Egor Local government and based on that he invaded our Secretariat and chased the people away.
After chasing away Ekundayo and his men yesterday, the Odion Olaye group called some leaders of the party in Egor Local Government Area and suspended the chairman and secretary of the party in the council.
The suspended executives were alleged to be loyal to governor of the state who has been at loggerhead with the state’s party executive committee.