Controversies trail arrest of Edo APC vice chair over 'invasion' of INEC office

Jarret Tenebe

Edo APC Vice Chairman, Jarret Tenebe

By Jethro Ibileke

Controversies are trailing the arrest of the Edo State vice chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Jarret Tenebe, in the early hours on last Thursday by police operatives.

He was arrested with one Akeem Zibiri, a retired officer of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency) NDLEA, over alleged illegal possession of arms.

They were alleged to have invaded the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in Etsako West Local Government Area of the State.

It was alleged that they led some thugs to the INEC office where they were apprehended by the police, from where they were later taken to State CID and detained.

As at the time of filing this report, Tenebe had been released from detention at the police headquarters in Benin.

Meanwhile, the State government and the APC in Edo have continued to trade accusations over Tenebe’s arrest.

The state chairman of APC, David Imuse, in a statement on Thursday, accused Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu of orchestrating the arrest.

The statement signed by the party’s Assistant State Publicity Secretary, Victor Ofure Osehobo, said the arrest was in violation of Tenebe’s fundamental human rights as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

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“In demanding his release, our party is deeply worried by reports that our State Vice-Chairman, Mr Jarrett Tenebe, was arrested on his way home after attending a party meeting in Benin City and is being brought to the state capital, instead of the Area Command in Edo North.

“We insist that, resorting to using the police to arrest and detain the State Vice-chairman of the APC, Mr Jarrett Tenebe is completely unacceptable, unlawful and cannot be justified under any guise whatsoever.

“Our party charges the Edo State Deputy Governor to note that Edo State is a part of the Nigerian nation which is a democracy, governed by law which creates no space for the whims and caprices of dictatorial, oppressive and vindictive individuals, who has no regard for rules.

“Mr Shaibu should therefore respect the provisions of the law by following due process in dealing with issues, particularly those guaranteed by the constitution. He has no right whatsoever to order the arrest and illegal detention at an unknown location of the State Vice-chairman of the APC or any citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for that matter.

“We therefore call on the Inspector-General of Police to wade into the matter, insulate the police from the political manipulation of the frustrated PDP government in Edo state, by immediately ordering the release of the Mr Tenebe, in keeping with the demands of the tenets of democracy, rule of law and provision of 1999 constitution,” the statement said.

The State government, in a counter accusation its social media team, however alleged that the APC vice chairman and the other suspect were plotting to loot sensitive materials for Saturday’s election.

“The culprits were said to be on a mission to loot and tamper with sensitive materials ahead of Saturday’s House of Assembly elections in Edo State.

They were arrested following an intelligence report and have been taken to State CID for detention and further prosecution,” the government alleged.

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