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Electoral Violence: Labour Party, APC, PDP, Play Blame Game

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The three leading political parties for the 2023 presidential election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP), and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have engaged in blame games on the recent issues surrounding electoral violence.

Naija News reports that chieftains from these parties, who featured on Channels TV’s Politics Today programme on Thursday, have accused each other of being behind most if not all of the recent incidence of electoral violence.

The Labour Party said it has always been at the receiving end of both the ruling party APC and the opposition PDP.

The Labour Party spokesperson, Dele Farotimi said the party was not known for causing violence, noting that they have never been accused of any form of violence.

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Farotimi said “We have never been accused of any form of violence whatsoever, but we have been the recipients of violence. We receive from the APC and the PDP but more have come from the party in power… It’s not something that started yesterday, it’s a culture and I think what is different this time around is that the people are more interested.”

Naija News recalls that PDP had in a press conference earlier accused the APC of instigating pre-election violence in the country ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, had made reference to a video where the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu was captured telling party members to grab power at all costs.

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It is against this backdrop that the PDP chieftain, Anthony Ehilebo submitted that his party’s allegations against the APC were nothing but the truth.

Ehilebo claimed that the APC recruited many people known for causing violence in its election campaign council and unleashed them on the opposition parties.

The PDP chieftain “We have come to know APC as a party that dwells on violence. For instance, I am from Edo State and there is a BBC documentary of a self-confessed Black Axe member who has been known in the past to terrorise Edo State, Benin in particular, by the name Tony Kabaka. He is the current APC state youth leader. When you have individuals like this spearhead the APC election machinery, we must raise all sorts of alarm so that we can protect our nascent democracy.”

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However Naija News gathered APC member, Ogenyi Okpoku denied all the allegations of violence against the APC.

Okpoku told Channels TV that the opposition PDP was rather the party known for fomenting violence but always blames the APC for their act.

The APC chieftain observed that “To be frank, it is psychopathic for the PDP to accuse APC of fomenting violence. If you check out the state where this violence is being carried out, especially against INEC facilities, they are APC-controlled states.

“So, the APC-controlled state cannot foment crisis in its own state. It is the same PDP, knowing fully well that it has no chance of winning the 2023 elections, now decided to foment crisis and when they cause this violence they come out to play the victim.”