11th June, 2024
By Jethro Ibileke
The Deputy Director-General (Media) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), governorship campaign organization, Reverend Olu Martins, has been arrested by the police and charged to court over alleged inflammatory and inciting statements.
The Edo State Police Commissioner, CP Funsho Adegboye, who disclosed this on Tuesday at a press briefing in Benin City, noted that the statements are capable of causing violence in the state.
“Of a recent, there was a viral video of inflammatory statement made by Rev. Olu Martins that can heat up the electioneering campaign processes in the state.
“He was invited to serve as a deterrent to others of like-behaviours and we also decided that the matter should be resolved at the court,” he said.
The CP appealed to political gladiators and actors in the state to play the game in line with the laid down rules and regulations.
According to him, electioneering processes are supposed to be glamorous, interesting and to encourage well-educated and would-be politicians and not the type that would create tensions in the land or teach people to behave criminally.
This is even as he vowed that the Command will not hesitate to deal decisively with any politician that run foul of the laws of the land, especially those of criminal codes and electoral acts, adding that there would be no scare cow, no matter how highly-placed such person is.
“I want to again warn all our political parties gladiators to please play the game in accordance with the laid rules. Inciting violence is a serious crime in the criminal codes and also in the electoral acts.
“All politicians and supporters should please avoid statements that can made the environment charge unnecessarily,” he said.
The PDP spokesman who was arraigned at the state criminal court, was however granted bail.
Reverend Olu Martins was seen in a viral video calling for the vandalism of campaign materials of opposition parties and threatening any opposition to the PDP candidate.
He was also alleged to have asked Engineer David Olukoga, the Director of Operation of the Edo state-owned security network to attack anyone who fails to embrace the PDP and its candidate.
Following the release of the video, the State chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Jaret Tenebe, in a statement, called on the Inspector-General of Police and Department of State Security Service to arrest the PDP governorship campaign spokesman.