From Moshood Karim
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State has officially reclaimed its party secretariat located at 59, Airport Road, Benin City, four years after it was forcefully evicted by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The dramatic return of the APC to its former office marks a significant moment for the party, which had been denied access to the building following a turbulent political transition in the state.
Speaking shortly after the party’s successful reclaiming of the secretariat, the APC State Chairman, Emperor Jarrett Tenebe, expressed his satisfaction with the development, noting that the building had long been the rightful property of the APC. Tenebe explained that the party had previously renewed the lease for the facility for a further seven years, before it was illegally seized by the PDP, with the backing of then-Governor Godwin Obaseki.
According to Tenebe, the APC made several attempts to extend the rent of the property before it was taken over. “Four years ago, APC made frantic efforts to extend the rent for this particular building, which has always been our office. If you search on Google, you will still find that this secretariat is listed as ‘APC’s office.’ The national office of our party even supported us by sending funds to renew the lease for another seven years,” he said.
However, Tenebe continued, the political situation in the state changed dramatically when Governor Obaseki defected to the PDP. He accused Obaseki and the PDP of using force to evict the APC from the premises. “The then-Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, decamped to the PDP, and in a military-like manner, they took us out of this secretariat. They destroyed our properties, seized our vehicles, and drove us out,” Tenebe recounted.
Despite reporting the incident to the Inspector General of Police, Tenebe claimed that the APC’s attempt to regain control of the building was obstructed by local authorities. “At the time, the Commissioner of Police in the state, who was aligned with the governor, refused to allow us access to the secretariat,” he said.
Tenebe, who was the deputy chairman of the APC at the time of the eviction, reiterated his commitment to reclaiming the party’s rightful properties upon taking office as state chairman. “When I became Chairman of the party, I made two promises: first, to ensure that the APC would take back control of the state; second, to recover all properties that had been unlawfully seized. Today, I am fulfilling the second promise,” he declared.
The APC chairman went on to express his joy over the party’s victory in the recent governorship election, where Senator Monday Okpebholo emerged as the state’s new governor, as evidence that the APC was on the path to regaining its former influence. “Some months ago, everyone witnessed the emergence of Senator Monday Okpebholo as the governor of Edo State, fulfilling one of my promises to our party members,” he said.
Tenebe also made it clear that the APC would not tolerate any further attempts to dispossess them of their properties, including the newly reclaimed secretariat. “We are ready to resist any attempts to disrupt our hold on this building or any other property. We are here to stay,” he declared.
As part of their takeover, the APC announced plans to remodel the building, painting it in the party’s colours and reassigning office spaces to key members. “We are officially taking over today. We will begin the process of remodelling the secretariat in the APC’s official colours,” Tenebe affirmed. “This building belongs to us, and we will protect it from any interference.”
The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Ben Abang, was present at the scene to oversee the handover process. Accompanied by other senior police officers, Abang engaged with party executives and ensured a smooth transition as the APC took control of the premises.
However, the takeover was not without its tensions. State PDP Chairman, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, was on the premises at the time of the reclaiming. He was escorted out by the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Blessing Agbebaku, as the situation unfolded.
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