Chief Francis Inegbeniki is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Edo State and also a former youth leader of the party in the state. He is a die hard loyalist of the National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. In this interview with our correspondent, ONAZENA ABBEY, he spoke on the recent attack on his home and other sundry issues.
What’s your reaction to the recent attack on political opponents in Edo APC?
I’m sure you’re referring to the incident that took place in my house where unknown persons threw Improvised Explosive Device, IED, into my compound. Really I am still in shock. I am traumatized; my family is traumatized. But I now have hope when I read the Nation newspaper today, Sunday the 2nd February. I saw that Edo State Government gave me a lead. The government was very swift; they were able to do their intelligence investigation and from their intelligence report, they are accusing some politicians of throwing explosives into my compound. So I am happy that the government is working very hard to unravel those who threw these explosives. In Edo State Government press release, it was confirmed that some politicians threw explosives into my house. This is a very frightening dimension.
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What is the position of the police on the incident?
Yes, the matter was reported to the police and also to the Department of State Services, DSS. I understand that the police sent a team of bomb disposal experts to my house to come and remove the unexploded IED that they threw into the house. They threw two IEDs, one exploded; the second one did not explode. The one that exploded caused colossal damage to my building. The structure of the building and all the glass windows in the house were destroyed. One of my cars that I parked in the house was destroyed beyond recognition. This is a very frightening dimension in Edo State political crisis.
Do you in any way suspect anybody?
Frankly, I suspect that the attack was politically motivated, and I make bold to say that the attack is state government sponsored terrorism which is against the European convention. I have briefed my lawyer, Femi Falana and at the appropriate time, we are going to file an action before the European Court.
My life is in danger. I am calling on the Inspector General of Police, IGP, the Director of DSS in the country to please investigation this attack. It was a state sponsored terrorism.
Do you think the attack has correlation with the rally you hosted in Opoji, Esan Central Local Government Area?
Yes! It is likened to the adage in our local language that when the witch cries in the night and a baby dies in the house the following morning, then the death of the baby is authentically linked to the witch that cried the previous night. Now let me explain the political situation in Edo State. If you read this Nation newspaper of Sunday, the 2nd, page 49, you will see that Edo State Government accused Edo Peoples’ Movement, EPM, and the National Chairman of APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. The government said and I quote: “Intelligence reports available to us indicate that this is the next move by the suspended national chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and his cohorts in the EPM to create tension in this state with the intent of forcing the authorities to declare a state of emergency in Edo.”
I am one of the founding fathers of EPM. I couldn’t have now thrown explosives into my own compound. For me, I believe that thugs loyal to the governor or thugs loyal to Edo State Government masterminded this attack on my house. I verily believe so.
Now, it is no longer news that APC is in crisis in Edo State. It is no longer news that APC is factionalised into two; the Obaseki and OSM, the one they call the Obaseki/Shaibu Movement versus EPM. Yes, the crisis in Edo State is not between Oshiomhole and Obaseki, no, far from it. The crisis in Edo is between the leaders of APC and supporters of APC called EPM where we are leaders. It is between us and Obaseki and not Oshiomhole. It is between EPM and Obaseki’s ambition to have a second term in office.
Let me clarify here, that about 80 percent of members and leaders of APC today in Edo State are in EPM. The other 20 percent are the governor’s aides, who are enjoying political patronage. They are inconsequential. Since we, EPM members are against Obaseki coming back for a second term, I believe that is the reason why my house was attacked. Let me take you through some attacks that have happened to EPM members in Edo State till today. The very first attack took place during the nocturnal inauguration of nine members of Edo State House of Assembly. You will recall that the next day after inauguration, they went to Excalibar Hotel and attacked other House of Assembly members- elect. They were beaten to stupor because they belong to the EPM group. They went to the national chairman’s house at Okoro Otou Avenue. They went in buses filled with thugs loyal to the State. If you watch this Edo State Government press release on the 2nd of February, it’s there for you to read. The government released a warning that nobody must hold rally in the state and that they were aware that EPM members were planning to hold rally in Edo Central.
How true is the claim by Governor Obasekli that EPM is fighting him over his refusal to appropriate the state resources to you people?
In Nigerian jurisprudence, it is clear that he who alleges must prove. If the governor has said so, which of course I have read, he should be bold enough to point to the EPM members or the politicians that demanded money from him. He should point them out. Why is he keeping quiet if that is true? It is not true that EPM members demanded money from him because he wants a second term, far from it. We the members of EPM, leaders of APC in Edo today, we know it as a fact that if you give Governor Obaseki ticket now to run for a second term, APC will lose this state because he’s already an over ripe mango. You can’t market it again. If you take it to the market, nobody will buy. So, we the members know that giving Obaseki a second term ticket, APC will lose the state because he has failed the people of Edo State woefully. In the areas of development, yes, I give them one thing, Obaseki and his government are good in propaganda. They are spending heavily on all these social media rats that are writing rubbish daily, trying to paint Obaseki as a saint, trying to paint him as a governor that is working. It is not true. If I open my mouth, Edo State people will stone Obaseki on the streets of Benin. Do you want me to mention the billions of naira he has received in Edo State since he became governor? Do you want me to mention the amount he has received as Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, ecological funds, all those loans he has collected, running into trillions? Where are the projects? We have been keeping quiet. Somebody like me, I have tried to hold myself not to hit him so hard, because if I hit him hard, the other party, PDP, even though we have been able to demystify them now, they will have something to hold. Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki has not performed in the area of development. That is the reason we don’t want to give him ticket. We don’t want to support him again because if we support him and he gets the ticket, we will lose the governorship election.
Don’t forget Godwin Obaseki promised President Muhammadu Buhari during the presidential campaign at Garrick Memorial ground, I was there, saying, ‘President, we will give you one million votes from Edo.’ But what was the outcome, the governor lost his unit, the governor lost his ward, the governor lost his state constituency, he lost his federal constituency and lost the senate; a man who pronounced one million votes. Go and check the results and see if I am making it up, a man that is not on ground, why will you give him ticket for a second term? A man who could not deliver and he wants a second tenure? No! That’s the cause of the problem between we, the EPM and Godwin Obaseki. It’s not about anybody asking him for money.
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What does these series of attacks portend for your party ahead of the party primary?
The APC will become stronger after the primaries. Remember I told you that today in Edo State, the EPM members, who are the authentic APC constitute about 80 percent of APC members the other 20 percent are just his workers. In the next few weeks, those ones will start to leave him one by one because we have nothing to give them. They are still there because they’re benefiting. They are still there because of the political patronage they get from him now. In the night, the remaining 20 percent are with us, but during the day, they pretend and to go to work so that they can get their daily bread. The other few ones that are left are not from Edo. Those ones were imported from Lagos. Some were imported from Asaba in Delta. After this crisis, APC will come out stronger; the few bad elements will be weeded away. We don’t need them. They misled the governor to where he has found himself now, in a round box. We will come out stronger.
