How The APC Chairman Is Dragging Edo Politics To A New Low By Rita Ebiuwa

The Chairman of the APC, Jerret Tenebe, is once again making headlines for all the wrong reasons. His latest antics are as alarming as they are baseless. In a recent statement, Tenebe declared that his party will begin arresting PDP members during the ongoing tribunal proceedings. According to him, these members were responsible for the tragic killing of a police officer at Airport Road during the election. But how many people does it take to kill one person? And how long can this game of dirty politics continue, using the death of an officer for political gain?

Before the election, several PDP members were already arrested based on a list provided by the APC, claiming these individuals were involved in the officer’s death. The PDP had to bail out its members with 64 million naira, even though the accusations were flimsy and politically motivated.

Now, Tenebe is making fresh claims, naming people who weren’t even on the original list, and threatening to arrest them if they come anywhere near the tribunal. The question remains: how many people are they accusing of killing a single officer? The way Jerret Tenebe is pushing this narrative, you’d think a whole community was responsible for the act.

It’s disturbing to see how the APC Chairman continues to play politics with the life of an officer. Rather than honoring the officer’s memory and ensuring justice for his family, Tenebe is turning his death into a political weapon to target PDP members. One wonders if the family of the deceased has even been compensated for their loss, or if they are merely being used as pawns in Tenebe’s dirty political games. His behaviour is becoming increasingly childish, with every interview he gives only exposing his desperation and lack of substance.

To date, Jerret Tenebe has failed to provide a single shred of evidence to support his claims. This is the same man who once accused his now “friend” Philip Shaibu of stealing his wristwatch, a claim that was later proven to be a lie. Tenebe has a history of making baseless accusations and playing politics with no real strategy. This was evident last week when he attempted to disrupt the proceedings at the INEC office, trying to prevent the PDP from filing their petition on time. His infamous “lions and tigers” even showed up at the tribunal on the last day, hoping to frustrate the process, but in the end, they were outsmarted.

Despite his repeated failures, Jerret Tenebe seems unable to learn his lesson. He still believes that violence, intimidation, and harassment are the tools needed to win. But what he fails to understand is that these tactics won’t change the facts. The real question is: how will preventing PDP members from attending the tribunal change the overwhelming evidence that the APC and INEC rigged the election? How will barring party members from the court alter the reality of the electoral malpractice that occurred?

Tenebe needs to grow up. His behaviour in recent interviews has been nothing short of childish and petty. The people of Edo deserve better than a leader who relies on baseless accusations and intimidation tactics. The political process should be about justice, truth, and fairness, not cheap tricks and dirty politics. It’s time Jerret Tenebe focused on the real issues rather than continuing to make a mockery of himself and the APC with these embarrassing stunts.

Ebiuwa, a volunteer for Asue Ighodalo Campaign Organisation, writes from Benin City.