From Tony Osauzo, Benin
The Edo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, reacted to the APC’s call on Governor Obaseki to resign over his alleged failure to curb insecurity and huge idebtedness of the state.
The party in a statement issued by its State Publicity Secretary, Chris Nehikhare, said the APC has resorted to a wild goose chase to oust the governor as they continue to run from pillar to post to undo the will of Edo people.
“The 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”, the statement said.
It added that Col. David Imuse who parades himself as the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the APC in Edo, is still battling for legitimacy and 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 show their mischief and crass ignorance”, the PDP stated.
It explained that Governor Obaseki was making effort to arrest the post #ENDSARS security challenges in a state where hundreds of prisoners escaped from two prisons by rebuilding burnt police stations in Edo State and moving from conventional policicing to community policing with 877 police constables that were recently sent forth from the Police Training School.
The PDP disagreed with the APC Chairman that Obaseki secretely obtained a N25 billion loan without the knowledge of the Edo people, saying that the loan was a developmental loan secured by the state government to develop and revitalize critical infrastructures and was approved by the Edo State House of Assembly.
“As for the complaint about the situation in Etsako East 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”. the statement said.
