Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in Edo State has warned Governor Monday Okpebholo to stop intimidating and gagging opposition voices.
The opposition party gave the warning via a press statement by its Caretaker Committee Chairman, Tony Aziegbemi, in Benin City on Monday night.
Aziegbemi said that he read “with utter dismay the publication by the Edo State Government, signed by the Attorney-General, Samson Osagie, threatening legal action against Mr. Ogbeide Ifaluyi-Isibor, a chieftain of our great party over opinions he made via his personal Facebook page critiquing the poor state of governance and leadership in the State under the Senator Monday Okpebholo-led administration.
“In the very embarrassing statement which is only another desperate attempt to stifle dissenting voices, suppress opposition, and intimidate concerned citizens who dare to speak truth to power, the Attorney-General threatened to sue Ifaluyi-isibor for criminal defamation, ignoring the critical role of opposition and citizens in holding the government accountable.
“We want to remind Osagie and his principal, Okpebholo, that they are in government and holding public trust, and as long as that remains the case, every citizen in Edo State, and indeed in Nigeria, reserves the right to freely express their opinion on how well or how poorly their government is performing.”
He averred that Okpebholo and Osagie “do not have the liberty to threaten anyone simply because they are criticizing the government or holding it accountable.
“However, as a party, our position is that there is nothing to suggest that anything Ogbeide Ifaluyi-isibor said is false. Infact, everything he said in his commentary is a factual and accurate assessment of how poorly the Monday Okpebholo-led administration is performing.”
According to Aziegbemi, “it is true that the State Government has been clearly dysfunctional and the Governor is hardly ever around to superintend over the affairs of the State. This is responsible for the retrogression being witnessed across all sectors of the State, from education, to security, economy and healthcare among others.
“The duty of the opposition and indeed the general public is to hold Government to account and that’s exactly what Ogbeide Ifaluyi-isibor has done and his views are the position of the PDP in the State. It is therefore irrational for Osagie and the Edo State Government to threaten him for performing his duty as a citizen by demanding accountability and better governance.”
He condemned “the desperate attempt by the Monday Okpebholo-led government to silent dissenting voices and stifle opposition in the State, including members and supporters of our great party, deploying all sorts of illegalities and tactics, including threats and intimidation, among others.”
Aziegbemi stressed, “you cannot govern by intimidation or suppressing criticism. It will not work, not now, not ever.”
He charged that “instead of wasting its energy and tax payers’ money on silencing opposition, we admonish the Monday Okpebholo-led Government to stand up to its responsibility and deliver governance to the Edo people for the short time it still has.”
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