By Omorodion Omoregie
According to a widely shared social media post, Edo State All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman, Jarrett Tenebe, at a recent secret APC meetin, proposed a plan to break into the Edo Governorship Election Petition Tribunal while the tribunal case is ongoing and make away with PDP documents.
During the said meeting, their lawyer wisely advised against it, saying they would be prevented by security agents. However, Jarrett dismissively retorted “Who be the person? Which security”?
Another very controversial figure in the states chapter of the APC, Eboh Stone, also reportedly chipped in, saying no security can withstand nor prevent them from entering the court because their own weapons are more sophisticated.
This disdain for our security forces is a clear reflection of the passive and complicit role of the public security apparatus in Benin, Edo State and their disgraceful betrayal of their constitutional duty to protect lives, property, and democracy.
Their inaction and inclination to simply look the other way has emboldened Jarrett Tenebe and his thugs, allowing them to operate with impunity and contempt for law and order.
When a party chairman openly dismisses security forces as incapable of stopping him and his marauding thugs, it’s a damning indictment of the state’s law enforcement.
By seemly standing by and looking the other way, those who should be securing public order have become enablers of APC’s desperate determination to drag Edo State into the lowest depths of ignominy, lawlessness and chaos, thus jeopardising public trust and the safety of Edo State citizens.
To be fair, the last few days, (after the atrocious APC invasion of the PDP secretariat), have seen dramatic improvements in the performance of the police, but there is much more work remaining to be done.
To this end there must be full accountability. The people of Edo and Nigeria deserve a security force that stands for justice, not complicity.
Should there be any breakdown of law and order in Edo State, Jarrett Tenebe and his co-travellers should be held responsible.
Enough is enough !
…. Omoregie, a public affairs analyst, writes from Benin City.