There was confusion at the entrance of the courtroom where the Edo state Governorship election petition Tribunal were sitting as youth leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC chased out private security men believed to have been contracted by the Governorship aspirant of the PDP in the just concluded Edo Governorship election.

The drama started at the corridor leading to the courtroom when the APC youth leaders and their supporters were prevented from gaining access, before they mobilized their supporters to chase the security men who were dressed in black away.

Speaking to newsmen, two of the APC youth leaders identified as Comrade Kelly and Tony Kabaka, said they have to chase them away as only the DSS and policemen were permitted to provide security at the court.

Meanwhile, former deputy governor of Edo state Comrade Philip Shaibu and Asue Ighodalo of the PDP were present inside the courtroom while the drama lasted.

Former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, has formally resigned his membership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to focus on a newly established platform, the Northern Star Youth Empowerment Initiative (NSYEI), recently launched at Arewa House, Kaduna.

Bafarawa, who served two terms as Governor of Sokoto State, presented his resignation letter to the PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagun, dated 8 January 2025. The letter was officially received by the party’s national office on 13 January 2025.

In the letter made available to journalists in Sokoto, Bafarawa explained that his decision to leave the PDP was to avoid a conflict of interest between his party membership and his leadership of the youth empowerment NGO co-founded in late 2024.

“I will now focus my attention on creating awareness for youth entrepreneurship and empowerment initiatives aimed at making them self-productive, reducing redundancy, and fostering self-reliance,” Bafarawa stated.

He extended his goodwill to the PDP, saying, “I wish the People’s Democratic Party and its leadership the very best in all their future endeavours.”

Expressing gratitude for his time in the party, Bafarawa added, “I appreciate the opportunity given to me to contribute my quota to the development of the party as a card-carrying member.”

Until his resignation, Bafarawa was a key figure in the PDP, providing strong support for Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal’s successful re-election bid in 2019 after parting ways with his political mentor and godfather, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wammako (Sarkin Yamman Sokoto).

By Francesca Hangeior

The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have traded blame on the shooting incident at the Edo Governorship Election Tribunal in Benin on Wednesday.

A statement by the APC Chairman in Edo, Jarret Tenebe, described the incident as a “deeply disturbing and unacceptable act of violence that undermined the sanctity of the judicial process.”

Tenebe accused supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of carrying out what he described as a dastardly act.

Recall that some gunmen suspected to be political thugs disrupted proceedings of the tribunal shouting, “Give us our mandate,” while shooting sporadically.

The shooting caused panic with lawyers, members of the tribunal, and others at the proceedings fleeing for safety.

However, Tenebe, in a statement, described the tribunal as a sacred space where justice was meant to be administered impartially.

“Any act of violence within its walls undermines the very foundation of our legal system and threatens the safety of all involved.

“Regardless of political affiliation, resorting to violence to resolve disputes is never justifiable.

“We must all condemn such actions in the strongest possible terms.

“Violence has no place in a civilised society, and those responsible for this heinous act must be brought to justice swiftly and without exception,” the chairman said.

However, in a counter-statement, the PDP in the state disassociated itself from the shooting incident.

The PDP chairman, Dr Tony Aziegbemi, described the incident as yet another in the series of clandestine efforts by the APC to frustrate the legal process and tarnish the image of the opposition party.

“The APC in Edo, who are clearly scared of justice, have continued their devious ploy to frustrate our party from reclaiming the mandate duly given to us by the good people of Edo in the last governorship election at the tribunal.

“They have now resorted to deploying thugs disguised in PDP-branded attire to disrupt the legal process while pointing accusing fingers at our party,” Aziegbemi said.