Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has accused his predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole, and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, of being responsible for the police invasion of the state’s House of Assembly on Thursday.
Obaseki accused Oshiomhole and Uzodinma of trying to cause tension in Edo ahead of the September 19 governorship election in the state.
The governor spoke to BBC Pidgin through his media aide, Crusoe Osagie, on Thursday.
Obaseki and the Edo Assembly Speaker were said to have stormed the complex and ordered the police out of the premises to prevent “forceful takeover” of the assembly.
According to reports, the speaker subsequently gave an order of no entry into the assembly complex.
It was learnt that shortly after Obaseki and the speaker left the complex, some trucks started to deliver stones and sands at the premises.
Heeps of stones and sand offloaded at entrance of Edo Assembly Complex after police invasion
Some youths were also seen pulling down the roofs of the assembly complex to indicate commencement of renovation work at the premises.
The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Campaign Council on Edo governorship election, Governor Nyesom Wike, has boasted that Governor Godwin Obaseki would be re-elected in the September Guber election.
Wike noted that the people of Edo state cannot be swayed to the contrary by the deceptions, lies and antics of the sacked National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole.
Governor Wike, who spoke on a Channels Television interview, Sunrise Daily, on Tuesday, stressed that Adams Oshiomhole has displayed the highest level of insult and disdain for the people of Edo state for asking them to accept the APC candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, whom he had accused to be “a thief, treasury looter, fake pastor and rusticated student” that who should not be trusted with the position of the governor of Edo state.
He further revealed that the people of Edo state are with Governor Obaseki because of his proven integrity and performance in office, and will use the election to tell “selfish politicians” like Oshiomhole that they know what is best for their state.
Governor Wike maintained that the Edo election is a matter of integrity, reliability and truthfulness, as epitomized in Governor Obaseki but “manifestly lacking” in Oshiomhole and Ize-Iyamu.
Governor Wike recalled that the former APC National Chairman confessed that Governor Obaseki was the brain behind his achievements when he was governor of Edo state.
According to Wike, “funny enough, former national Chairman of the APC confessed that this is one man who used his contact, connections and his brain to make sure that he achieved what he has achieved and even went further to say that he would prefer that they name the Edo State Government House as Godwin Obaseki’s House; he said so”.
The PDP Campaign Chairman therefore berated Oshiomhole for plotting to pull the state backward and destroy the lives of the people by campaigning for the same individual he had exposed to be unfit to hold any office.
“Now, the same man is now coming to Edo people with the same person he could not give appointment and want to sell him to Edo people. I remember, it was Channels who interviewed him and he said look, this man is a fake pastor.
“I didn’t say so, I am only quoting what he said. Now you come to Edo people again and say ‘I want to present this same candidate to you.’ But you have told us, that this individual cannot be allowed to be the Governor of Edo State. What does that tell you? So you think that the whole people of Edo state are fools?
“Oshiomhole even quoted the chairman of the President Buhari’s Anti-corruption Crusade, Prof. Itse Sagay and said that he was the chairman of the panel that indicted the APC candidate. Now you tell me, assuming you are APC and you have conscience, will you go and stand by the same person and campaign?”
The Rivers governor stressed that the time has come to stop politics of lies, false claims and propaganda to deceive the people as being exhibited by the Oshiomhole and Ize Iyamu campaign.
“You are making promises to Edo people and tomorrow you will not fulfill, then you will say it is politics. You cannot continue to insult Nigerians. You cannot say Edo people don’t know their left from their right”. Wike stated.
