Fourteen members-elect of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC in Edo state have reacted to threats by the state Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki to deal with the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, accusing the governor of planning to take out the party leader.
This was as former Executive Director, Media Affairs to Comrade Oshiomhole, Prince John Mayaki lambasted the state government for accusing the national chairman of disrupting public peace and safety in the state.
He said the statement from the state government which was signed by its Secretary, Osarodion Ogie was hollow and empty as it only revealed the spinelessness of the state government which stems from their own misappropriation of law and order.
Worse, the article calls into question, the salt and essence of the SSG who prides himself as a lawyer. The greatest dilemma nevertheless, is how Obaseki’s tyrannical tendencies have rendered him useless to the state and unable to ever get anything right.
“Addressing the rightful and nationwide celebrated chairman of the incumbent party as ’suspended’ immediately threw the article into the true light of its nature, revealing the factionalism and divisiveness that informed the statement. It portrays a side at loss with the fiery stride of a giant who can only resort to setting paltry traps for the victorious warrior.
“This fact manifests itself in the terms and structure of the remaining part of the needlessly long and ramshackle statement. Governor Obaseki, through his muppet lawyer SSG, began a shameful revision of facts, appropriating events well known to the people of Edo State all in the bid to achieve his already failed motive.
One of the most shameful of that act is the turning on its head, a well-documented incident where the official state government thug group, led by Philip Shaibu, attacked the National Chairman, the Oba of Lagos, Dr. Aderemi Makanjuola, and a number of others at a convocation ceremony.
It is a known fact that these men sought refuge in the house of the National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole; but in the government’s statement of lamentation, they presented the strangest narrative of that singular event”, Mayaki said.
Also, addressing a news conference Thursday in Abuja, the lawmakers urged President Muhammadu Buhari, party leaders and the Inspector General of Police IGP, Muhammed Adamu to call the governor to order, saying should anything untoward happen to any party chieftain or faithful in the state, the people would never forgive their inaction.
Gov. Obaseki had earlier threatened to deal “ruthlessly” with Comrade Oshiomhole if the party chairman ‘does not behave”.
The governor had reportedly said; “All this nonsense they are doing, if anybody in the name of our party tries to do anything contrary to what we have agreed as a party we will deal with that person ruthlessly no matter who he is.
“We are warning the suspended National Chairman. If he continues his activities in Edo State, I will show him that I am the Governor of Edo State. While he was Governor, he would not tolerate a fraction of the misdemeanour and misbehaviour he is undertaking today.
I have declared that if Oshiomhole comes here to Edo to say he wants to disrupt the activities of the state and the party we will deal with him the way we know how best to do it”.
However, the 14 Lawmakers-elect said such threats must not be treated with levity.
They said; “We the members-elect of the Edo state House of Assembly this day 30th day of January 2020, intend to use this medium to express our worries about the happenings in Edo State APC and the seeming aloofness of some of our leaders which has created another Emperor in Edo State, in the person of Governor Godwin Obaseki. We want to draw the attention of our President, Muhammadu Buhari, the National leader of our Party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the National Working Committee of our Party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Party leaders and members across the country and indeed all Nigerians to the continuous insults and threat to the life of our National Chairman, Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole and other party members in Edo state.
“Two days ago, precisely 28th January 2020, Governor Obaseki was on record which was widely circulated on social media and mainstream media, threatening the National Chairman of our Party, Comrade Adams Aliu Oshiomhole.
“It would be recalled that we had persistently drawn the attention of the world to the series of attacks on members of our great party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) across the state on different occasions just because they bear opposing views from that of Governor Godwin Obaseki and the government of the day in Edo.
“The homes of most leaders of the APC in Edo State have been marked for demolition by governor Obaseki.
“Several petitions were written to the Inspector General of Police from 18th June 2019 after the attack on us at Golden Tulip hotel in Benin City, but nobody has been held responsible for that attack yet.
“We want to believe that because the leaders of our Party across the country have been quiet to call Governor Godwin Obaseki to order, he has been further emboldened to kill everybody due to his desperate ambition for a second term.He has recruited a killer squad in Edo State and their mandate is to kill Comrade Oshiomhole and other APC leaders. So he has continued to create a crisis and disrupt public peace.
“We demand that President Mahammadu Buhari, the National leader of the party, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the governors of the APC governed states call Governor Godwin Obaseki to order as he is known to have set several precedents in our Party that may be detrimental to our great party in the nearest future.
“The Inspector-General of Police should wake up to his responsibility of protecting lives, properties and maintaining public peace in Edo state by standing against infringement on the rights of Edo people. We beg him to advise the Edo CP to be professional in his duty.
“We cannot allow Obaseki to destroy Edo APC because he does not know the sacrifices made by Oshiomhole to keep that party in Edo State. It is clear that Obaseki is heading to another party flowing from the endorsement he has received from PDP leaders including the Governor of Ebonyi State.
“But we are not worried because this same Governor lost his polling unit, ward, LGA and senatorial district to PDP during the Presidential election, so he has no political clout. He went to play golf shortly after casting his vote not bothering whether President Buhari won the election or not.
“But the National Chairman of APC won his entire area for President Buhari. So we appeal to our leaders to call Obaseki to order, he has no monopoly of violence. And if any of our people is killed, we will hold Obaseki and the IGP accountable. Edo people will never forgive them.
“This is the time to act”, they demanded.
