Ikimi cautions PDP over councils’ invasion

[MrVan]

By SIMON EBEGBULEM

BENIN CITY— FORMER Foreign Affairs Minister and national leader of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Chief Tom Ikimi, weekend, described as barbaric attempt by Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to forcefully take over the 18 local government  headquarters in the state.

Youths loyal to PDP had last week, stormed the council headquarters in Edo Central, demanding that the Transition Committee Chairmen of the councils vacate their offices, following the state high court judgment, which declared the transition chairmen as illegal.

Chief Ikimi, in his reaction, noted that the law, which legalised the use of Transition Chairmen in the state was passed into law during the PDP led administration in the state, and called on Chief Tony Anenih to call his party members to order to avoid anarchy.

He warned that ACN has all it takes to protect the councils and ensure that the law takes its course.

He condemned the invasion of the councils by what he called "hired thugs with dangerous weapons sponsored by PDP leaders," adding that "it took the overwhelming and determined resistance of loyal ACN supporters in the five local government areas in Edo Central to repel the assault.

He said: I am reliably informed that there are casualties in some hospitals and that some arrests were made.

"I understand that these barbaric acts were purported to have been ordered by their godfather, who ordered them to 'enforce' a declaratory judgment handed down by Justice Aku Molafe-Wilson of the state high court sitting in  Ekpoma near Anenih's hometown in Uromi. The said judgment declared among other things, that the appointment of Transition Committees in the councils by the Edo State Government was unconstitutional."

Vanguard Nigeria