Ruling political party at Federal level in Nigeria, All Progressives Congress, APC and the ruling political party at a State level in Edo, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP have traded words; with both throwing blames at each other over the kidnapping of the Edo State Chairman of the PDP, Tony Aziegbemi.

While both political parties appealed to the abductors to release the party chairman safely, the PDP blamed the Federal government under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu for the insecurity leading to the abduction of the party chairman. The APC blamed the state government led by Godwin Obaseki for porous security architecture said to be responsible for the kidnapping.

There are two version of how the PDP Chairman, Tony Azeigbemi was kidnapped.

Early media reports indicated that the PDP chairman was kidnapped on Friday night shortly after meeting with the State Governor at government House in Benin City. The first version said the gunmen suspected to be kidnappers  abducted the chairman of the Edo State People Democratic Party, Tony Aziegbemi, along Idaro Street, off Country Home Road, Benin, Edo State. Aziegbemi was reportedly abducted around 11pm on Friday. The media quoted unnamed family source.

The Edo PDP chairman was said to have left a meeting at the Government House and was going home in his vehicle when he was kidnapped in the presence of his driver who was attempting to climb a speed breaker.

The Punch newspaper reported that “the driver who narrated how his boss was kidnapped said, “When we left the Government House heading home at about 11pm, I noticed a car trailing us so I decided to take another diversion. We never knew they were kidnappers.

“A few minutes later, the same cars appeared behind us at a speed breaker and blocked our car in the front and also behind as they prevented us from going back. Immediately the gunmen pointed guns at us and ordered our chairman to enter their car and took him away, while also driving his jeep with him.”

The gunmen were said to have abandoned Aziegbemi’s car along Sapele Road and took him away in their own cars.

At the time of filing this report, some top government officials and security agencies were sighted at the spot where Aziegbemi was kidnapped.

Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, when contacted, confirmed the incident.

He however said the case fell under the New Etete Police Division.

Nwabuzor said, “It is confirmed. The case is in the jurisdiction of the New Etete Police Division, also known as Godwin Abbe Police Station, which is where it happened.

“The Commissioner of Police has given a marching order to the tactical teams of operatives to go after the gunmen and we pray that by the grace of God, we will be able to rescue him unhurt”.

His kidnap came less than a month after the party conducted its governorship primary, which produced Mr Asue Ighodalo as the candidate of the PDP in the forthcoming September 21, 2024 governorship election”.

But another version indicated that the PDP chairman was kidnapped on Saturday morning while walking outside his house during his regular weekend sporting exercise.

Meanwhile, Edo State Commissioner of Information, Chris Nehikhare has said that the state government has stepped up surveillance in collaboration with security agencies for safe release of the kidnapped PDP Chairman, Tony Aziegbemi.

The Commissioner of information said: “The Edo State Government is on top of the issue of the unfortunate kidnapping of the Chairman of the State’s Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Tony Aziegbemi.

The Government is working closely with security agencies to ensure his safe release and return to his family.

We have also increased surveillance and beefed-up security measures across the State to ensure that these criminal activities are quelled and culprits are brought to justice.

We encourage residents to go about their lawful businesses without fear and urge them to call the State emergency numbers 112 or 739 to report all suspicious persons or activities within their environs.

The Government reassures that it is committed to protecting the lives and property of Edo residents and will spare no resources in ensuring that the perpetrators of this dastardly act are apprehended and made to face the full wrath of the law”a

Reacting, PDP in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said, the state chairman’s kidnapping shows the failure of the APC controlled federal government and its inability to provide security and ensure safety of lives and properties in the state and the country at large.

The PDP press release reads in quote: “The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) demands the immediate and unconditional release of its Edo State Chapter Chairman, Dr Tony Aziegbemi, who was abducted in Benin City, Edo State capital.

The PDP expresses serious concerns over Dr Aziegbemi’s abduction which further points to the alarming failure of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-controlled Federal Government in its primary duty to ensure the security and welfare of Nigerians as provided under Section 14 (2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

Our Party is distressed by the alarming spate of abduction of helpless Nigerians in various parts of the country, particularly the recent kidnap of about 286 school children in Kaduna State and others in Sokoto State, who are still being held in horrifying and traumatizing conditions in their abductor’s den.

It is heartrending that the APC administration continues to give false assurances while Nigerians are left at the mercies of kidnappers, bandits, terrorists and marauders without corresponding concrete effort to check the ugly occurrences.

Our Party calls on the Federal Government to end its laidback attitude to security by immediately rejigging our national security architecture, especially in the areas of intelligence gathering, security command and control coordination in a manner that not only proactively ensure the safety of citizens, but also guarantees rapid respond and effective rescue operations.

The PDP commends our gallant security personnel in their patriotic effort to secure our nation and urges them not to relent despite the dauting challenges.

The Party also commends the efforts of the Edo State Governor, Governor Godwin Obaseki particularly in the deployment of effective security frameworks and structures which the security agencies should leverage on to further guarantee the safety of citizens in Edo State and other parts of the country.

While calling on Nigerians to be prayerful, alert and continue to support our security agencies, the PDP charges the Security high command to take urgent steps to secure the release of Dr. Aziegbemi and all other Nigerians trapped in abductors’ camps in various parts of the country”.

APC acting Chairman in Edo State, Jarrett Tenebe said the kidnapping of the PDP chairman is one of the too many cases of abductions in the state due to the failure of the PDP controlled government in the state to provide motivated security machinery to guarantee the safety of all despite the huge amount of monthly revenue collected always by the Edo State government.

The APC press release made as reported by BeeTv news reads thus: “kidnap of Dr Aziegbemi is one kidnap too many in the State which signpost’s an over reminder and wake up call on Governor Obaseki led administration in the state that all is not well, in terms of securing the State which is the primary responsibility of government.

The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress says it received with rude shock the news of the kidnap of the State chairman of PDP, Dr Tony Aziegbemi and has profoundly condemned same, attributing the ugly development to the lack of strong and well oiled security architecture in Edo state.

He said for a chairman of the party of a sitting governor to be kidnapped, is a testament of the very porous, ill equipped, ill motivated security machinery in the state inspite of the humongous security vote been collected by governor Obaseki on a monthly basis.

The APC, Edo State chapter used this medium to demand of the abductors, the immediate and unconditional release of the PDP chairman, and also called on the security agencies in the state to leave no stone unturned in the quest to ensuring his release unhurt”.