The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has successfully regained possession of its former secretariat located on Airport Road in Benin City, which had been under the control of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The building, initially the APC’s secretariat, was taken over by the PDP following the defection of Governor Godwin Obaseki to the party in 2020 after he was disqualified from seeking re-election as an APC candidate.
In a statement after the reclaiming of the property, APC state chairman Jarrett Tenebe affirmed that the secretariat legally belonged to the party.
He explained that the APC had renewed the lease for the building for another seven years before the PDP, with the influence of Governor Obaseki, forcefully occupied it.
“About four years ago, APC made a concerted effort to extend the lease on this building, which has always been the APC’s office. If you search on Google, it still shows the APC’s secretariat,” Tenebe said.
Tenebe detailed that the national office of the APC had helped fund the renewal process, securing the property for an extended period.
However, when Obaseki defected to the PDP, the secretariat was taken over by what Tenebe described as “military tactics,” during which APC property was damaged, vehicles were seized, and members of the APC were evicted.
Tenebe recalled that the APC had lodged complaints with the Inspector General of Police, who backed their claim and ordered the reclaiming of the secretariat.
However, the then Commissioner of Police in Edo, allegedly acting under Obaseki’s influence, blocked their access to the building.
Having assumed office as APC state chairman, Tenebe made it clear that reclaiming the secretariat was a top priority, emphasizing his commitment to resisting any further attempts to displace the party from its property.
“Our focus is to redress all the wrongs committed by the PDP and Governor Obaseki,” Tenebe said.
At the time of filing this report, the PDP was yet to respond officially to the APC’s actions, despite promises from their spokesperson, Chris Nehikhare, to issue a statement.
