APC Deploys Obaseki's Handling Of Insecurity In Edo State
By Lucky Isibor
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Edo State chapter, has condemned Governor Obaseki and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) , for failing to secure the life and property of Edo people and make life comfortable for them.
Edo APC Publicity Secretary.
The Party speaking through its Publicity Secretary, Prince Peter Enoseregbe Uwadiae Igbinigie said, "APC is disenchanted, disillusioned with PDP, Obaseki and his co- travellers".
Igbinigie, stated this while speaking with journalists in Benin City on the security
situation in the state .
According to him, ” I am very shocked to hear that the PDP in Edo painted a picture which indicates that insecurity has been tackled successfully in Edo whereas, what we experience on ground is very worrisome.
"He painted a picture which indicates that insecurity has been tackled successfully in Edo whereas, what we experience on ground is very worrisome. Few days ago about seven innocent persons: young vibrant men were killed in Obayantor and the operation lasted for over three hours without any security operative coming to save the situation.
Also, ” Umogunokhua issue where women numbering about seven were raped in the bush by herders and some persons claim there is security in Edo State, yet no suspect has been arrested. We heard of the kidnapping on the Benin – Ore highway which lasted over three hours without any security operative coming to the rescue of the defenseless travellers”.
So, where is the security apparatus we talk about in Edo that the Publicity Secretary of the PDP will be singing the praise of the Governor? It is an aberration hence I dare say that such a person should not be allowed to speak because the PDP as today, is the Party of the Government in power; whatever they say represents the voice of the Government in Edo.
"It is to defend and protect the lives and property of the people.
But today, Edo State is a far cry of that irrespective of what anyone thinks about it. Today Edo State is the worst secured in the South – South; we hear of how people who commits crime are arrested and prosecuted in other States but in Edo criminals and criminality go unhindered.
"So Edo people are living with their eyes opened, not too sure of what will happen in the next minute. Hence APC as a Party is disenchanted, is disillusioned with the attitude of the Governor and his co-travellers.
"We can’t continue to live like this! And that was why the last time I spoke with the press, I challenged the Governor to account for the N750m monthly security votes that he collects from Abuja because if he receives such humongous amount and it is not reflecting in the security situation in the state, then one wonders where that money is being channeled to, if not private pockets.
” If they begin to misinform the people and create an environment that looks safe as against the practical reality that is on ground, it therefore means that Obaseki and his Government are out to further destroy Edo and impoverish the people that according to him gave him the mandate to represent them; and what is the core mandate?.
"Permit me to say; it is a true reflection of what is PDP in Edo as today because for such a man to be speaking on behalf of the party, it therefore means that the party has deteriorated to that lowest ebb of inreconciliable level of propensity.
” I sympathize with the party because in my days in the party, I never had the opportunity of coming across that face who is now their scribe. It goes to show that no good person is in the party anymore.
"So, the man who defended what is defenseless, is an epitome of the Governor’s non chalant attitude towards the life and property of the Edo people who he has been given the mandate to represent.
“I am saddened in my heart and the APC is worried that we do not see the infrastructure which he is talking about. The already existing ones have been destroyed, there is non to replace them; the state library, Central Hospital have all been demolished. He talked about the newly inaugurated Central Park, but the economic value of these infrastructure that have been destroyed when compared in relation to the Central park, it therefore becomes a monumental misplacement of priority for the Obaseki’s led PDP administration to concentrate on a Central Park as against the education of the citizenry of the State; underlines the fact that the Governor lacks the capacity to prioritize the needs and issues as they are in Edo."
While noting that cohesion is the hallmark of the APC as a political party, the APC publicity scribe said, "APC today as a party is fundamentally built on tenets of democracy: there is no in – house fighting, we are coordinated, we are prepared and we have our standard executive in place without any rancour. Democracy will only be well founded when there is internal party democracy. Today the only Party that enjoys internal democracy is APC in Edo. We have the history of successful congress from the Ward, Local Government Council, and to State level and today all the departments that would make a resounding political party in a very strong footing have been done in APC.
” I can assure you that if we are to go into any election with the PDP today, they will not win a single ward because you are going to have one section for the Governor, and another section for the Dan Orbih led Exco and to be very honest with you, the Governor should have known that the constitution of the PDP does not allow for harmonization. I was the legal adviser to that party for many years; from the first word to the last word of its constitution, there was no where it was mentioned that there would be harmonization.
Granted that the Governor of a State is the Chief Executive and leader of that political party, it does not embrace once a Governor comes; he must destroy an existing Exco which has been given a statutory flavor. Once an Exco is elected, it must run its full circle unless; the exception are clearly stated. Maybe if a member dies or incapacitated by reason of ill health, or if a member leaves the party and goes to another party.
"These are the only conditions that would make another person to take over from a man who has been duly elected. What the Governor wants to do in the PDP, was what he did in the APC which made him unwanted in the party because he is a man who does not understand the tenets of democracy and even if he understands, he is not ready to put them to practice and this is not a military era, we are not in oligarchy.
"This is democracy in which all issues are governed by law; the constitution of the party, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended in 1999 and the Electoral Act; these are the instruments that regulate how political parties, governance, and elections are run.
"But for a man who is the Chief Executive who is supposed to know that this is the way to go, but decides to do the wrong thing, is not only deliberately pulling the PDP to its precipice, but is trying to denigrate the aura of the party and such a man should be treated like a leper and that is what Wike is doing to him now and it is not a surprise to us as a party; the APC.
We knew that a day like this will come when the whole world will know what that man represents as an individual and a Governor. What he represents is betrayal because one would have expected that from nowhere, Oshiomhole made you a Governor and the same Oshiomhole was the first person he started fighting; so how can such a person know what governance is all about?
So today, we want to put on record that APC as a arty is seeing the down fall of the PDP in Edo because we said it in 2020 that the movement of Obaseki into the PDP; was the last straw that would make that arty go into extinction in the state and that is happening now.
The APC spokesman said the state government is not prepared to conduct Local Government election stating that the assurance given by the state government that it's ready to conduct the election is a fluke.
"I heard few days ago that the Governor was telling the world in a forum that he is ready to conduct the Local Government election in 2022 and I was shocked to the marrow of my bones because the fundamentals of conducting a Local Government election are not there.
First and foremost, the new electoral Act has made it that Local Government Councils election is no longer tea party; it is now a very serious business that has to do with logistics and all it takes to conduct a free and fair election. People of different States are now willing, prepared to participate in the Local Government Councils election.
"To conduct a credible Local Government Council election, the money required must be contained in the yearly budget and be voted for.
I urge Edo people to take a copy of the Edo State 2022 fiscal budget and read from the first word to the last to see if there is anywhere the Local Government Councils election was budgeted for. The tax payers money cannot be spent without same been budgeted for. So if the Governor is thinking of spending our money without same been budgeted for, Edo people will ask him questions and that would be tantamount to unconstitutional conduct of a Governor, because the Constitution provides that every kobo of the State must be budgeted for and the Obaseki’s administration has not budgeted for the planned Local Government Councils election.
"This is March; it therefore means that year 2022 is running fast whereas, there is no iota of logistics that has been put in place by the State Government towards conducting a free and fair Local Government Councils election. The EDSIEC is not being funded, no activity is going on there to suggest that election will be conducted this year. Let me make an example; today the INEC time table for election that is going to be conducted in 2023 is already out, all the political parties have been notified as to the activities required towards a free and fair election.
But here we see a Governor, in the comfort of his bedroom telling the people I will conduct Local Government Councils election. You can’t write results again in your bedroom like they used to do.
APC as a Party is willing and ready, prepared to match the PDP and we want to start showing it from the Local Government election. And if it is not going to happen this year, any time the Government of the day is ready to conduct the Local Government election, I can assure you that we will field our best eleven and they will capture the desired results for us; we have the capacity, we have the men that have the wherewithal to win election in Edo and the mirror of looking at a Party that is serious about winning election; is there now on the part of the APC and not the PDP.
The APC as a Party in Edo represents peace, love, inclusiveness, togetherness and a journey that is anchored on democratic practices and conditionalities.That is who we are; we are dependent on the law, and we work within the ambience of the law and that is what we want to replicate in Edo and we replicate at the Federal."
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