Benin, Edo, Nigeria – By Oladipo Airenakho.
Two days after Nigeria’s President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan formally declared his intention to seek a second term in office, Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has challenged him and his party to show their report cards, describing the president’s Subsidy Reinvestment Program as a fraud.
Subsidy Reinvestment Program, otherwise known as SURE-P is an empowerment program of the Federal Government for the youths in Nigeria.
Governor Oshiomhole challenged the president and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to show what the party has done in Edo state, saying the President only came to the state to commission a resurfaced existing Ofosu-Benin axis of an expressway which was constructed by a military regime.
The former Nigerian Labour Congress Leader chose the occasion of the celebration of his six-year anniversary as Governor of Edo State yesterday at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium to bring the administration, the president and his ruling PDP to judgement.
Governor Oshiomhole said to the mammoth crowd of party members and supporters at the event: “I want to ask, if you listened to President Jonathan when he was here in September to launch what they called the South-South rally of the Peoples Democratic Party.”
The state chief executive officer saw the war against corruption by the current government at the federal level as a sham and one that can be likened to a gun that fires shots without casualties.
Referring to the president, the Governor said this: “he was reported as saying that Edo State, our own great State, and the Heartbeat of the Nigerian Nation will fall to PDP. Let me ask you, can Edo State fall? Can the President fall any of you? He even went on to say that Rivers State will fall to PDP. I need you to mark the word ‘fall’ and when you go back home, take your dictionary and look at the ordinary and special meaning of the word ‘fall.”
Oshiomhole stressed, “To fall is to collapse, to fall is to speak in the language of Soldiers. When they have used the force of firearms to overcome their enemies and they capture them with the aid of guns after killing many, they can say that the territory has fallen”
“So is the President going to use the Armed Forces to fall the people of Edo State? I want to put him on notice that Edo State is not an enemy territory to be felled by Armed Forces and the Commander-in-Chief must not target Edo for falling. Edo will stand and march on,” he declared.
“On the contrary, APC will defeat the President in Bayelsa State, APC will defeat PDP in Rivers State, and APC will defeat PDP in Cross River State. APC will defeat PDP in Delta State, APC will continue to bury and bury PDP in Edo State.”
Oshiomhole asked, “what is the Scorecard of the PDP in Edo State and in Nigeria? The PDP has commissioned the resurfacing of Ofosu to Benin Road in a period of 16 years. That is all PDP has to show in Edo State for over a period of 16 years,” he lamented.
He pointed out that Federal Government controls 52.8 % of declared federal collections and all they have to show in 16 years is the resurfacing of Ofosu-Benin old carriage way.
The Governor said, “My challenge to my opponents in whatever name they are called, people who spent 10 years in Edo deceiving people, we have shown that they wasted our 10 years, adding that his administration was not deterred by their failure, but rather inspired by the opportunity to reposition Edo State.
“I have made the point that we can reposition Benin City, deal with the crisis of flooding, not on the basis of random approach but by taking a holistic view on the flooding problem and apply searchable solutions that are informed by scientific mandate”.
“We challenge our main opponent, leaders and members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP at all levels to come out and refute all that I said we have done that we didn’t do”, he said.
According to him, “never again shall we be buffeted by people who remember us once in 4years when they bring a version of the stolen money to buy guns and distribute to young men to kill people.”
Looking at the past, the Governor gave this message: “We have moved away from the politics of sharing salt, banana and sugar cane at the eve of election. Today, the Edo woman understands that providing school for her child is better than giving her a bag of salt once in four years.”
The Governor said that “as long as the PDP has power, the Nigerian people will never have power”, saying “even as we speak, this stadium is being powered by generator.”
He accused the Federal Government of handing over power to people who know next to nothing about electricity and power generation in the name of privatization of electricity distribution.
The occasion was graced by Former Head of State, Mohammed Buhari, Governors Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Ali Wamakko of Sokoto State, the Deputy Governor of Kwara State, Elder Peter Kisira, former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylvia, former Governor of Ekiti State, Chief Niyi Adebayo, Federal House of Representative Members, Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Uyi Igbe, Edo State House of Assembly Members Market Women, Students, Civil Society Groups amongst others.
