Former Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has said that the position of his successor, Governor Godwin Obaseki in calling for his arrest was part of the reasons people had reservations about state police which could easily be abused by some state governors.
Governor Godwin Obaseki had accused Oshiomhole, who is also former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress of allegedly instigating the protests that erupted in the state last Wednesday because of the new naira notes scarcity, and called for his arrest.
According to the PUNCH, Oshiomhole, while speaking to journalists in Benin City on Saturday stated that Obaseki did not have the power to order the arrest of a citizen.
He said, “The law is very clear. If a crime has been committed it is up to the security agencies to investigate and if they find the need to invite people for questioning, they will definitely do so.
“The police have not and I will be surprised if they have now degenerated to taking orders from a politician who is faced with the crisis of confidence while the people have been voting against him.
“There are huge issues of the legitimacy of his government and he thinks that he can order police to arrest whoever he considers to be his political opponent.
“But let me say that Obaseki is a victim of his own double standard. He says one thing today, he does another the following day.
“I think Obaseki after embarrassing the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, when he accused him of printing billions of naira to share for states by way of federation account and that Emefiele’s policies are going to destroy the naira even as he admitted that the money was being shared to state governments.
“So Obaseki wanting to make money out of this hardship suddenly became pro-CBN governor, defending anti-people policies, where your people are groaning and he has made the wrong assumption that Edo people do not know their right from their left.”
On the new naira controversy, Oshiomhole said, “In the cause of campaigning, it is painful when I hear people complain to me about the challenges they are having. I have never hesitated in denouncing it and I will continue to denounce it because it is not the policy of APC.
“So I think it is not wrong for Obaseki, with all due respect to his very high office, to throw allegations without attempting to show any proof,” he added.
