Obaseki Raises Alarm Over Alleged Collusion Between APC, Police, Warns Against Election Subversion, Impending Chaos
…says confidence in victory to be proven at polls
…inspects ongoing construction of Education Hub
By Violet Osatohanmwen Obamwonyi
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has emphasized the need for unity in the state, given the current direction of the country, noting that a major contributory factor to Nigeria’s socio-economic challenges, stems from the inability of leaders to put the nation’s political landscape right, by prioritizing the people’s interest.
The Governor who pointed to such political missteps as a key contributor to the rising multi-dimensional poverty index in the nation, expressed concerns over the recent issuance and execution of arrest warrants against targeted stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, without regard for his position as Chief Security Officer.
He warned against the political collusion between the opposition party in the state, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), to subvert the will of the people in the forthcoming gubernatorial election, noting that the absence of a free and fair election in Edo, would escalate to severe unrest, which in turn may lead the country into dire consequences.
Obaseki made the remarks while addressing leaders and stakeholders of the PDP in Oredo Local Government, raising alarm about an alleged plot by the opposition, warped by the fear of losing the forthcoming election, to incite chaos and unrest in the state. He stated that confidence in a party’s candidate and in victory, should be demonstrated at the polls, not reliance on ‘federal might’, as the people are the ultimate determinant of their leadership choice.
According to the Governor: “It is only fair that you allow the people to vote for the candidate they want in Edo. I have warned and I am warning again, if you do not allow a free and fair election in Edo, this country may burn, and I should not be held responsible for what would happen. We have never been conquered and would not be conquered by anybody. This is a democratic country.
“In a democratic state, you are coming to arrest people and keeping them away from voting. I give instructions to the Commissioner of Police, he ignores me; he says I am the Chief Security Officer of the state; what security do I have if this can happen without my knowledge?
“I have told the Commissioner of Police that he might have to arrest everybody to win this election, since he does not want the people to freely go and express themselves and vote. He asked me to sign a peace accord; I am not signing any peace accord, because there would be no peace if they keep arresting and detaining people without trials. He has already shown his hand. The police are supposed to be in charge of maintaining peace and order, not the ones creating problems. They are busy arresting PDP leaders.
He added: “If you are so confident in your candidate, why resort to ‘federal might’? Your might should be in the Permanent Voters Card not in Police arresting people. Let them not start the fight now; they should prove their might on election day.
“Oredo is the heartbeat of Edo politics and we believe in the unity of Edo. A large percentage of the votes comes from here. So, we are going to make Asue our Governor. I thank God our Party is strong now. We now know those in the party, and I am the happiest politician.
“In the last 8 years, we have grown. There has been an increment in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR); a large chunk of that is generated from Oredo. The budget of Edo would be in trillion in a few years and the people that do not want this growth to continue should not be allowed to smell political power in Edo State.”
Obaseki thereafter, proceeded to inspect the ongoing construction of the Education Hub, located at Iyaro, Benin City, wherein he expressed satisfaction with the progress of the project, stating that the primary goal of government is to develop the state and provide efficient services to its citizens.
The Governor who noted that school children are currently safer at home, revealed that plans have been made by school administrators to extend the academic calendar to bridge the two-week gap for students and teachers.
He further explained that the Education Hub will house all departments and agencies relating to education, including the Boards for Primary, Basic, Secondary, and Technical education, as well as the Quality Assurance Department, while highlighting additional facilities within the hub, which include a building for the Library Board, a center for seminars and conferences, a creche, a cafeteria, all aimed at creating a supportive ecosystem.
He added that the facility will also include a primary healthcare center to serve the community, a playground, a football pitch, courts for other sports, and a model basic school.
He said: “The purpose of politics is development. It is to offer services to the people. This is one of our landmark projects. This is an education hub. And because of the priority and importance we pay to education, we felt just like many decades ago, the foresight of late Gen. Samuel Ogbemudia, who earmarked this place to house ministries and agencies that have to do with education, though not on this comprehensive level. This place was dilapidated, some of the buildings were burnt and abandoned. So, what we decided to do was to give a physical expression to the reforms we have already carried out in the education sector of the state.
“We felt we should build a state-of-the-art center or hub that would habour all agencies of government that relate to education. This project would not be abandoned. I have been assured that by the end of October, it would be ready for commissioning.”
The Governor added: “There would be no loss in learning, because for these two weeks, the education managers have planned for it, and time has been created for the makeup. Lessons for these two weeks have been planned and the school year calendar has been extended by a few days to ensure the students and teachers catch up.
“What is important is, as you can see; the threat of violence by the opposition party; the harassment and intimidation from the police; I do not think we should expose our children to all that; let them be at home safe. From what we see, based on the plans of the opposition and the police, there might be mayhem. I do not want any child exposed. I believe they should stay at home for this period and let us get through this madness before we bring them back to school.”
