Pro-Tinubu rally disrupts peaceful protest in Edo

By Jethro Ibileke

A pro- President Bola Tinubu political rally believed to have been hurriedly put together on Tuesday disrupted a peaceful protest by members of the Akoko-Edo Development Association (AEDA).

AEDA is also known as the Akoko-Edo Forum against insecurity and unfair share of developmental programmes by the state government.

The members of the AEDA had gathered at the Market Junction in Igarra town, from where they would proceed to the council secretariat when another group with banners bearing pro-Tinubu inscriptions emerged and started a rally.

To avoid violent clashes, security agencies advised the AEDA to shelve its protest.

Chairman of the forum, Dr. Charles Jagun who spoke to journalists accused the Secretary to Local Government (SLG), Topa Okomayin, of leading the people that disrupted their protest which he said was planned against the neglect of the local government area by successive governments and the representations of the area at both the state and National Assembly.

He noted that their representations were not good enough to close the development gaps and insecurity in the local government area.

Jagun said: “The local government is a border to the North, and it is a border to the West that should have given us a strategic position to be a place that is well developed.

“But what do you see today, we have Akoko-Edo that is highly insecure, there is kidnapping every day. Coming to Akoko-Edo, the roads are bad. Federal road linking Auchi to Igarra through Ibillo is also bad.”

He added: “Our representatives are aloof and we are calling them out. I don’t know if Akoko-Edo is part of Sen. Adams Oshiomhole’s constituency because he seems to have the fancy of appearing before national television to express what is going on in the rest of the country. Meanwhile, he has left Akoko-Edo like a place that is not in his constituency.

“We have our House of Representatives member, Peter Akpatason, the road passing through his village is impassable. We have the duo of Hon Yekini Idiaye and Donald Okugbe in the Edo House of Assembly, we are calling on them to take action.

“We need true representation, all we are saying is Akoko Edo must change, that is the purpose of the forum.”

Also speaking, a member of the Forum, Dr Dele Yaya, said they were aware that Governor Monday Okpebholo is doing great things in other places, but that similar scenarios are not in Akoko-Edo local government area.

When contacted, Okomayin denied the allegation of disrupting the protest saying there were youths who had planned a political rally for the day and that the council was not aware of any planned protest.

He said the pro-Tinubhu group got the place where they wanted to begin their rally when they suddenly saw the protesters.