From Tony Osauzo, Benin
Edo Governor, Godwin Obaseki, yesterday, said the ruling of the Supreme Court affirming his victory in the September 19, 2020 governorship poll and dismissing the alleged certificate forgery suit against him, signals an end to godfatherism in the state and freedom for Edo people.
Speaking to journalists shortly after he was received by a mammoth crowd of supporters at the Benin Airport, Obaseki hailed Edo people for their relentless support for his government.
“For us in Edo, this victory means freedom and emancipation; it means that we must rededicate ourselves to our people because democracy is all about the people.
“Democracy is not about an individual or godfather. We have defeated the godfather finally in Edo, in our quest to take Edo to where it should be.
“First and foremost, we need to thank God. You are all witnesses to what we have gone through in the last two or three years in our efforts to reposition the politics of Edo state.
“They threw all sorts of trash at us, but by the grace of God, the verdict of the Supreme Court is just the final straw. All the court cases that we have gone through, all the challenges we have faced in the last two years, we have won every one of them.
“This is by the grace of God: I will not say it is my own doing; it is God that has led us through all of these challenges. But I believe that what is more important is the meaning of this victory. For us, we must rededicate ourselves to the work, which we have started for Edo people, he said.
The Governor added: “We cannot look back. At this time of the life of this country, we are faced with major critical challenges and as if we knew, we had started repositioning our state. The people who are fighting us are the same fake people that are pulling this country down even at the national level.”
On the congratulatory messages sent to him by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osagie Ize-Iyamu and the APC former National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, after the Supreme Court ruling, the governor said he was yet to receive original copies of the letters signed by the duo.
