Edo State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the State Governor, Godwin Obaseki as a dictator with reference to his posturing in his second tenure in office.
Addressing a Press Briefing the Chairman of the APC, Col. David Imuse(rtd) said, “Godwin Obaseki’s second term in office which was supposed to be a democratic set up is now a dictatorship as the man has turned Edo State into a personal empire.
“As Emperor, he has conveniently castrated the state Legislature, emasculated the Judiciary and operates the Executive branch as Sole Administrator.”
Imuse asserted that the governor has no regard for Rule of Law “as he word is now law. The situation is so bad that Mr. Obaseki is today the lawmaker, the judge and even the prison, all put together. Emperor Obaseki’s flagrant abuse of power is legendary.
“He has refused to conduct the local government elections for Chairmen and Councillors and has succeeded in keeping the council’s statutory allocations in a bid to clear the N60 billion debt he claimed they owe.”
Imuse tagged Edo State as the second most indebted state in Nigeria, adding “now he (Governor Obaseki) has just forwarded to the illegal House of Assembly for additional N25billion bond to further impoverish generations of Edo citizens yet unborn.”
Speaking about the state of the roads in Benin City, the state capital and other local government areas of the state, Imuse stressed, “he has abandoned all floods and erosion control projects just as he has left major roads in the state capital and other local government areas in different states of dilapidation. As a result, Benin City, though not in a riverine locality, has been turned into a swamp anytime it rains.”
According to Imuse, “the claims of street lights powered by the hype of an Ossiomo Power Plant remains a ruse. This is why Benin City is been ravaged by all types of ‘Obaseki Police’, some with Dane guns and laying claims to controlling traffic whereas they are actually extorting monies from innocent citizens. King Square(Ring Road) is worst hit as the National Museum grounds is now an artificial habitat for uniformed thugs, criminals, rodents and reptiles.”
On the erstwhile Central Hospital, Benin City demolition, Imuse said, “his plans to replace it with a Motor Park has failed. His anticipated MoU for the Park died on arrival. His partners were shocked that he destroyed a century old legacy hospital for a garage, so they backed out. Edo people want to know what he intends to do with the demolished hospital since his clandestine move has failed.”
On the new town project, the APC Chairman said that “the destructive streak of the Governor took a new dimension with his invasion of Irhirhi-Arogba-Obazagbon-Ogheghe Communities. The government spuriously claims that the destruction of these communities is to make room for development of a new town project.
“This sinister claim is far from the truth as the hidden intentions is to share the land for himself and his cronies before leaving office in 2024.”
The APC Chairman accused Governor Obaseki of selling the state owned newspaper, the Nigerian Observer to his cronies employing a private individual “who has employed a new set of staffers, as Consultant. The truth is Mr. Obaseki has sold the Nigerian Observer to his cronies under a dubious PPP arrangement that will die a natural death soon.”
Rounding off the briefing, Col. Imuse that the state “is in serious crisis due to the continuing legacy of bad governance on display by Mr. Godwin Obaseki’s poor understanding of democratic governance. We want to salute the resilience and patience of the good people of our state this far.
“We want to say that the future is in our hands and as a people we must take the initiative to boot out Obaseki’s co-travellers in PDP and those perceived to be sponsored by him in all its forms in 2023 elections. They all have betrayal, ingratitude and failure in their DNAs.
“Obaseki has lost the capacity to secure the lives and properties of Edo citizens, contrary to his oath of office. He will be shown the way out so that Edo State can move forward.”
