By Friday Osaro Aghedo [Freeman] and Kira Kita
He came with the garment of financial guru who would solve, without any difficulty the financial crisis that had just hit the country then with the poor price of crude in the international market.
The first sign of what would later translate to his real personality was his refusal to appoint Commissioners, issues with some of elders of the party then over political appointments and party patronage through award of small contracts to the chieftains.
Godwin Obaseki went to the market to announce that his immediate predecessor in office and some of the party officials wanted the state resources shared. Of course the world believed him.
No sooner, it got to a level where party men and women were being harassed. The victimisation got to a crescendo of imprisonment and demolition of their houses under the guise of urban renewal policy.
Before long, he, in connivance with some perceived enemies of his predecessor, orchestrated his removal as National Chairman of his party, this and many other events cumulatively led to the defection of Mr Governor to the party he has so spoken ill off.
Like a leopard that he is, he soon went into war with his new benefactor. He didn’t also disappoint his bookmakers when he instituted case upon cases that also led to the landlords become tenants while the owners took the reverse.
Through propaganda and working with the enemies he won his second term election and soon after told virtually everyone that assisted him to go to hell.
In all of these, there have been no progress made in the state in terms of development, rather, the state incurred huge debt running into hundreds of billion naira.
He has ran the state like a sole administrator. With only 10 of the Legislative House sitting, he arrogated to himself, executive and legislative functions, leaving only the Judiciary to act or function under his whims and caprices.
I never for once thought Mr Godwin Obaseki can be this humble; the 2023 general elections has indeed humble the emperor.
Adding his voice to the dialogue, a notable member of the community, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Governor Obaseki’s peace initiative a few days to the Saturday, March 11 House of Assembly polls is coming too late and will not subsist.
According to him, “one would have expected that the governor, will, after apologizing for his high handedness in destroying our cherished properties, proferred a middle ground in terms of making compensations for his ill advised action in the community and even others.
“You cannot beat a child and expect the child not to cry. It is not done. Governor Obaseki must step down from his high horse and relate properly with the aggrieved people.
“But for this coming election which is barely 72 hours away he should forget it we will not vote for any of his preferred candidates in his party(PDP) and any party that he is perceived to also have sympathy for.”
Did I hear you ask who Mr Governor is begging?
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