From Ndubuisi Orji, Benin

All is set for today’s governorship election in Edo State. For the political parties, push has come to shove. There is politics in the air. At the moment, there is no standing on the fence and everybody has become a politician of some sort.
Edo is now a beehive of activities. With the traffic into the state yesterday, even the blind would have noticed that a major activity would be taking place in Edo State.
But in the frenzy for the seat of the Edo Government House, the question on the lips of many is –who among the candidates of the election would carry the day.
In the evening of Monday, political parties participating in the election embarked on last minutes campaigns. Supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  and the All Peoples Congress (APC), the two major political parties contesting the election were seen still making efforts to woo voters in Benin City,  the Edo State capital. In various streets in the city, both parties campaigned were noticed visibly struggling to market their candidates.
Apart from the street campaigns,  the PDP supporters took their campaign to Ekiosaa popular market  in the capital. The PDP stalwarts staged their mini rally at the Third Junction end of the market, from where they distributed campaign flyers with picture of the party’s candidate,  Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and that of his running mate,  John Yakubu to traders and other persons.
But for the APC supporters, they took their own campaign to popular New Benin Market in the state capital,  where they staged a carnival-like campaign. APC supporters were also seen along Murtala Mohammed Way also in the state capital distributing campaign materials of the party’s governorship candidate, Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu to motorists and committees plying that route.
Also, the city centre,  Ring Road, was also a beehive of activities as virtually all the parties staged one campaign event or the other to woo voters.
Also,  the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole was showed intermitently on the Nigeria Television Authority(NTA),Benin in a last ditch effort to woo voters to support the APC.
Security
In various parts of the state especially Benin, the Edo capital, various security agencies were seen in strategic locations.
The acting Inspector General of Police(IGP), Ibrahim Idris on Monday announced the deployment of 25,000, Police personnel, to maintain law and order in the re-scheduled election.
This is coming just as the IGP, has directed the Commissioner of Police in Edo State to enforce the restriction of vehicular movement from 12 midnight, Tuesday, September 27, 2016 to 6pm, September, 28, 2016 except those on essential duties.
The 25,000 personnel according to the IGP, comprises men of the Police Mobile Force (PMF), Counter Terrorism Units (CTU), the Anti bomb squad, the Marine police and the conventional police.
In a statement signed by the force public relations officer, Don Awunah, he said the  also deployed are personnel from the police Armament Units, Force criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (FCIID), Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) and the Sniffer Dog Section.
The IGP, who made this known yesterday in Abuja, said the deployment is to ensure the safety of lives and property before, during and after the elections.
He said that in addition to the 25,000, personnel, police helicopters would also carry out Aerial Surveillance and Gun Boats’ patrol, adding that additional Armoured Personnel Carriers and 5550 patrol vehicles will be deployed to cover all the polling units, rack centers, collating centres, Riverine areas and difficult terrains.
Apart from police personnel and military officers deployed for the election,  the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) announced on Monday that it had also deployed 20,000 personnel for the governorship contest.
According to a statement issued  by its Public Relations Officer, Mr Emmanuel Okeh  in Abuja, the team will be led by  Acting Deputy Commandant General, Operations, Mr Hillary Madu.
“The Acting DCG is to be assisted by two Assistant Commandant Generals in Charge of Zone G Benin and Zone E Owerri with five Commandants drawn from the neighbouring states”, the statement said.
Trucks loads of battle ready military men were seen moving around major roads in Benin City.
There was heavy security presence at the INEC office in Aduwawa Road in Benin City, as the commission began the distribution of non-sensitive electoral materials to the various parts of the state.
However, the PDP said the distribution ought to have been done 24 hours before the poll, stating that the early distribution could give rise to the cloning of the materials.
The party in a statement issued  by its National Publicity Secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye also accused the APC of plotting to rig the election.  The party which vowed to resist any attempt to subvert the will of the people stated that it has received reports of movement of thugs in BRT buses from other states into Benin City, the Edo State capital with the aim of disrupting the election. The PDP alleged that the thugs were given cover by mobile policemen.
“Yesterday evening, we received reports from reliable sources of the movement of hundreds of thugs in about 20 BRT buses into Benin City. These thugs have apparently been brought from other states to disrupt the election in the state. Alarmingly, these reports indicate that the thugs were given cover by mobile policemen.
“We will strongly resist all efforts to rig this election. Our party will not stand meekly while we are deprived of a certain electoral victory.
“The INEC distributed some non-sensitive electoral materials such as electoral observer and monitor tags yesterday, the 25th of September,2016.
“ We believe that the distribution of these materials started too early and pose a threat to the conduct of free, fair and credible elections in the state. These materials are traditionally distributed the day before elections to prevent them from being cloned or copied by people keen to disrupt the electoral process. We are aware that some of these non-sensitive electoral materials are being presently cloned in the APC Situation Room in Benin City, with the aim of distributing same to thugs who will have right of free movement on Election Day and possibly disrupt elections in PDP’s strongholds.
“ In addition, we are worried by the attempts to compromise the security apparatus of the state as evinced by the replacement of the Commissioner of Police in Edo State an unprecedented three times in the last three weeks. The State Police Command is currently without a Commissioner less than 72 hours to the election.
“We are aware that the security agencies in conjunction with the APC are planning the arrest and detention of PDP leaders so as to frustrate the chances of our party at the polls and also shut down the PDP Situation Room in Benin City. We wish to draw the attention of the international community to this sinister plot, “ the statement.
Journalists from different parts of the country,  particularly from Lagos and Abuja besieged the state on Monday waiting to cover the election.  Some media houses have as much as a six man team to ensure effective coverage of the election, which has generated so much interest across the country.
As at press time (Tuesday morning),  politicians in the state have started moving from the state capital to their various constituencies.