…APC demand Governor Obaseki’s Immediate Resignation
…PDP blasts APC over poor intelligence, tact on opposition Politics
By Okhide Em’ya David
Chairman, Edo State Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC, retired Colonel David Imuse has asked the Governor of Edo State Mr Godwin Obaseki to immediately resign from office over what he called “gross failure to tackle deteriorating security of lives and property of the People of the state”.
Imuse in a statement in Benin City attributed his action which comes less than two months after Obaseki was sworn into office, to obvious realities that the Governor appears to have run out of ideas about how to protect his constituents.
He said the call has become necessary because the Governor is failing in his duty of protecting the lives of Edo people, and that he has shown gross disregard for the rule of law while his personal interest is clashing with his official interest.
Imuse listed Governor Obaseki’s penchant for disobeying court orders and his decision to plunge Edo State into more indebtedness with his recent clandestine borrowing of N25billion from the capital market as the reasons for his call.
The APC care taker Committee chairman said: “No one is safe in Edo. The state is under siege. We have a governor who has lost focus. Fear and insecurity have become the order of the day, yet the Governor takes N700million monthly as security vote. And so far he has not been able to deploy this huge amount to mobilise the security agencies in the state to fight crimes.”
He added: “Today Edo state has a governor who does not have one iota of respect for the judicial and legislative arms of government or the rule of law although he regularly runs to the courts on the most frivolous of excuses “A court recently ruled that the duly elected chairman of Etsako East Local Government Council who was illegally removed from office should go back to his seat.
But the Governor, in disobedience of the Court, mobilised thugs to seal up the entrance of the Council Secretariat at Agenebode, denying the Chairman access” “Because Edo state is designed to be governed by relevant laws, Edo APC is ready to take the bull by the horns, as it can no longer condone a governor who has no regard for the rule of law”
The Chairman who also blamed Governor Obaseki for making Edo the third most indebted state in the country, wondered why he would clandestinely resort to borrowing the sum of N25billion from the capital market without telling Edo people, why and what it will be used for.
“This loan is unacceptable to Edo people and Governor Obaseki must urgently return it or cancel it outright because it is to be repaid by Edo tax payers and to make matters worse, his own company, Afrinvest is the stockbroker for the facility. This action of the governor is not only illegal, there is a a clash of interest.”
Imuse consequently warned the many financial organizations that are being dragged into disbursing the controversial N25billion loan to tarry, because according to him, the loan will never be repaid, as he however cautioned those who are already euphoric over the money to stop as whatever they are doing is at their own risk.
PDP Reacts
In a swift reaction, the state ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), cautioned the APC “to realize that opposition politics requires intelligence, tact, not childish tantrums.”
PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr. Chris Osa Nehikhare in a statement in Benin City berated the APC in the state for making spurious claims that the party says “betray the bitterness, delusion which they have been forced to endure since they suffered crushing defeat in the last governorship election in the hands of Governor Godwin Obaseki and the PDP.”
Nehikhare, said the APC has resorted to a wide goose chase to oust the governor even as they continue to run from pillar to post to undo the will of Edo people.
His words: “APC is clearly still reeling from the pains inflicted on them in their disgraceful outing in the last governorship election in Edo State. They are looking for all other avenues to overturn the will of Edo people, who rejected them outrightly at the polls and embraced the Governor and his policies by handing him a landslide victory and a second term mandate.”
“Colonel David Imuse who parades himself as the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the APC in Edo, is still battling for legitimacy, adding that he is finding it difficult to settle into the rather awkward role of playing the opposition, which the APC has not played in the state for the past 12 years.”
“Playing opposition politics requires some tact and intelligence, which Imuse is clearly lacking, as can be seen in the shallow and infantile reasoning in his statement.
“That Imuse and the APC have the guts to raise the issue of insecurity in the puerile statement betrays their ignorance and an apparent worrying condition of selective amnesia.
“It must be noted that the Federal Government under the leadership of the APC is solely responsible and has full control of security across the country, including the police, the Department of State Services (DSS), the army and all others. That Imuse and Edo APC would do an about turn and place the responsibility for security on the laps of Governor Obaseki alone shows their mischief and crass ignorance.”
“Perhaps Imuse is not aware of the efforts of Governor Obaseki in arresting the post #ENDSARS security challenges in a state where hundreds of prisoners escaped from two prisons. Maybe he does not know that efforts are ongoing to rebuild burnt police stations in Edo State. Imuse should try to read about Governor Obaseki’s charge to move from conventional policing to community policing with the 877 police constables that were recently sent forth from the Police Training School.
“Imuse and the APC need to be reminded that when Edo people on September 19 trooped out to elect the governor and PDP as against the APC, it was an overwhelming endorsement of the governor’s decisions and judgement on social, economic and policy issues, including opting for development financing to execute projects.”
He observed that “the people are clearly comfortable with and affirmed with the outcome of the polls.
He faulted Imuse’s allegation that Governor Obaseki secretly obtained a N25 billion loan without the knowledge of the Edo people.
“This is incorrect. The N25 billion loan Imuse talked about was a developmental loan secured by the state government to develop and revitalize critical infrastructures.
“The Edo State House of Assembly, which represents the Edo people also approved the loan months ago. To Imuse and his ilk, a loan approved by a state House of Assembly was secretly secured. This is irresponsible and garrulous talk.”
“As for the complaint about the situation in Etsako West Local Government Area, the state government is exercising its constitutional right for an appeal and has, along that line, filed for an appeal. It has also filed for a Stay of Execution on that judgement.
Therefore, status quo remains and only the court can make a pronouncement on the matter and not the APC.”
Nehikhare further advised Imuse and the APC to take their time and do some soul searching and also commit resources to studying about the requirements and demands of their new role as the opposition party in Edo State.
