In a circular titled ‘A clarion
call on Edolites in the face of the upcoming House of Assembly Election on
Saturday, March 18, 2023’, signed and
made available to the media by the Deputy National Chairman of NCP
(South-South) Pastor Peters Omoragbon, the group accused Governor Obaseki of
committing more than 50 sins.
“The NCP urges Edolites to come out in their numbers on Saturday, March 18, 2023, to vote mainly candidates from the opposition political parties in Edo State. This is the only way we can put Governor Obaseki under effective Check and ensure that Edo State move genuinely forward,” the circular read.
The circular reads in full: The writing of this piece has become compelling following the antics being played by Governor Godwin Obaseki on the good people of Edo State as this all-important election is fast approaching. Indeed, the National Conscience Party (NCP) is watching with laughter how Governor Obaseki is busy moving from ward to ward, local government to local government and from one part of Edo State to another begging the electorates to vote his PDP cronies otherwise called candidates into Edo State House of Assembly. The question is has Ematon (meaning Iron which he prides himself with) suddenly become melted/humbled that he too can now be begging whereas he had over time refused to be begged for anything or accept to respect the legitimate rights of Edolites who he had been victimizing?.
Our dear Edo People, let us come to the facts of the matter. Edolites made all sacrifices in 2020 to renew Governor Obaseki’s mandate voting massively for him out of sympathy and solidarity at a time he was rightly or wrongly perceived to be oppressed or victimized by the then prevailing APC hierarchy. No sooner the second term mandate was renewed for him than he transformed into a thin god who comfortably pocketed Edo State as he alongside his Deputy and Secretary to the State Government had become the cabal determining the affairs of the State. First, these three musketeers crippled the state House of Assembly by working with only nine out of a suppose 24-member Edo State House of Assembly for all the period Governor Obaseki had been holding sway since 2016 to date. Little surprise that the State House of Assembly was moved for a longer period of time to the old Exco Chamber in Edo State Government House for sittings while its overriding function was to rubber-stamp all “opinions” of the three musketeers which were being confused for bills.
Having virtually closed down the major chamber where the views of Edolites and their supposed representatives should have continuously been ventilated to shape the policies of Edo state government to suit the interest of the greater number of Edolites at any given time, Governor Obaseki and his cohorts took to tyranny, autocracy and invariably unleashing a reign of terror on innocent, hardworking and law-abiding Edolites. And while Edolites were suffering, and had continue to suffer, from the associated pains tied to this style of governance of his, he keeps turning down the plea for mercy or the plea for him to apply human face to his actions and policies. It therefore tantamount to stating the obvious by saying that he has, by today, offended Edolites in all sectors of the State including even the revered Benin traditional institution. On the social media, he has been listed to have committed fifty sins against the good people of Edo State. Time and space would fail us if we of the NCP would want to list his numerous transgressions against Edo People here. Suffice to say however that they are quite numerous and even still counting. The only one we would like to mention and to tell him that he cannot sweep under the carpet is for him to account, as a matter of urgency, for Edo State share of the refund of the 13% derivation funds and other related ones paid to the nine Southern Oil Producing States by the President Buhari Administration.
Having lost the Presidential and National Assembly elections held on February 25, 2023 despite his administration facilitating the supply of Transformers to some communities which have been in darkness over the years, on the eve of the election and also grading some roads in several towns and villages in the state about the same period as well, Governor Obaseki is now again doing the same thing. He is now rehabilitating and asphalting some roads which he ought to have done ever since. He is now inviting various prominent personalities and groups including Christian and Muslim religious bodies for discussion and probable ‘mobilization’. He is distributing gifts of various shades and even appointments as Senior Special Assistant (SSA) cum Aides to different persons/characters. Above all, he is now enlisting the support of the different Drivers Unions which are visibly known to be violence-prone bodies. To say the least is to say that he is now taking the upcoming House of Assembly election coming up on March 18, 2023 as a do or die affair.
Indeed, our dear Edolites, the actions being presently taken by
Governor Obaseki are not in the collective interest of Edo People but to enable
him control the State House of Assembly. This is with the overriding aim of
enabling him to still continue with his bravado, tyranny and reign of terror.
Edo People should be wiser now as we deserve to have a responsive and
accountable administration in the state henceforth. Going by our bitter
experience ever since Governor Obaseki took over control of Edo State affairs,
the only guarantee for good governance in Edo State forthwith is to have a
vibrant state House of assembly occupied by cerebral, independently-minded and
true representatives of their constituents who certainly should not be the
cronies/lackeys of Governor Obaseki. Hence, the NCP urge Edolites to come out
in their numbers on Sat, 18/03/23 to vote mainly candidates from the opposition
political parties in Edo State. This is the only way we can put Governor
Obaseki under effective Check and ensure that Edo State move genuinely forward.
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