Gunmen have reportedly abducted Tony Aziegbemi, the chairman of the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The abduction took place around 7 p.m. on Friday, just days after the party’s State Working Committee expired.
A source revealed that Aziegbemi was kidnapped as he was entering his house after meeting with Governor Godwin Obaseki in Benin City.
The incident occurred at the entrance of his house on Country Home Hotel Road, Benin City, where the kidnappers blocked his Jeep, took him, and left the driver behind.
It was mentioned that Asue Ighodalo, the PDP candidate for the upcoming September 21, 2024, governorship election, was also supposed to attend the meeting with the governor.
He mentioned that the candidate for governorship was unable to attend the meeting because he was meeting with the party’s leaders in Uromi, the administrative headquarters of Esan North-East Local Government Area.
A party leader, who requested anonymity, stated that the kidnapped PDP chairman met with the governor to discuss establishing a caretaker committee to manage the party until a new executive is elected.
“Our plan is to set up a Caretaker Committee to take over the affairs of the party since we have a very important election coming up on September 21, 2024. The Aziegbemi-led State Exco ended on Thursday, March 14, 2024.
“As you may be aware, conducting a fresh PDP State Congress in Edo State when the governorship election is around the corner may weaken our togetherness as one party towards winning the election,” he said.
Chidi Nwabuzor, the Public Relations Officer of the Edo State Police Command, requested some time to provide a response when reached for comment.
