The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Edo State Chapter, is deeply saddened and alarmed by the unfortunate incident that occurred during the Children’s Day celebration at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, where innocent school children were reportedly injured following the deployment of tear gas and the resulting stampede.
Key Highlights;
- Peoples Democratic Party blamed the Edo State Government for the Children’s Day incident at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.
- The party condemned the alleged use of tear gas and poor crowd control.
- PDP said the incident showed negligence and poor planning by the APC-led government.
- The party demanded a transparent investigation and proper care for affected children.
- The statement was issued by Barrister Felix Alari.
While we thank God that no life was reportedly lost, we strongly condemn the avoidable negligence, poor planning, and incompetence that characterized an event meant to celebrate and protect the future of our society — our children.
The attempt by the APC-led Edo State Government to downplay the incident and shift responsibility through carefully worded press statements cannot erase the painful reality witnessed by parents, teachers, and the affected children themselves.
We did not start celebrating Children’s Day today as a people. For decades, Edo State and indeed Nigeria have marked this day without the kind of horror visited on our children yesterday. Previous administrations—including PDP governments—organized successful, joyful, and safe Children’s Day events year after year.
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Never have we witnessed tear gas fired at children or a stampede caused by official recklessness. This ugly chapter is a clear and undeniable testament to the cluelessness of the APC government in Edo State—an administration that does not know what to do at any given time. It is a cut-and-nail government, incapable of planning, incapable of execution, and now incapable of taking responsibility.
How does a government organize a massive Children’s Day gathering without adequate crowd control measures, emergency response coordination, proper entry management, and child safety protocols?
More disturbing is the reported use of tear gas in an environment crowded with children. Such recklessness is unacceptable and must never be tolerated in any civilized society.
Government must understand that leadership is not about propaganda after failure; it is about prevention, competence, and responsibility.
The PDP therefore calls on the Edo State Government to: Immediately publish a transparent report of the incident and the exact number of affected children; ensure that every injured child receives proper medical care and psychological support at government expense and conduct a full independent investigation into the role of all security personnel and officials involved.
The PDP also called for establish clear safety protocols for all future public events involving children and vulnerable persons; publicly apologize to Edo parents and school children for exposing them to danger during what should have been a joyful celebration.
PDP urged Edo parents to remain vigilant and continue demanding accountability from those entrusted with public responsibility.
“The safety of our children must never be sacrificed on the altar of political showmanship, poor planning, or administrative incompetence. Edo children deserve protection, dignity, and responsible leadership.”
This was contained in a statement by Barrister Felix Alari, Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Edo State.
