The People’s Democratic Party(PDP) has averred that Edo State under the leadership of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is under siege.
Speaking in what he tagged a state-of-the-state address the Chairman of the PDP Caretaker Committee, Tony Aziegbemi, said that the Governor Okpebholo “has violently abused our people, both physically and mentally.”
To buttress its argument, the PDP averred “this was even acknowledged by Okpebholo’s political ally, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, during his public outcry on the floor of the Senate in Abuja, where he lamented the worsening insecurity in Edo State under Okpebholo’s watch.
“From Edo South to Edo Central to Edo North, killings and violent attacks have become rampant. The State, which was repositioned as one of Nigeria’s safest places to live and do business during the Godwin Obaseki-led administration has now become so unsafe, gaining a notorious reputation as the capital of kidnapping and violent crimes, as kidnappers and other criminals now see it as a safe haven, the weakest link in the country’s security framework.
“Meanwhile, the supposed Chief Security Officer(CSO) of the State stands dazed, overwhelmed, clueless, and utterly incapable of managing the worsening insecurity that has continued to claim the lives of innocent citizens almost daily.”
Going further, the PDP stated “Edo State today has become a gangland of sorts and if Okpebholo has achieved anything in these past three months in office, it is the mindless manner in which he has empowered thugs and non-state actors to intimidate and harass his own people.
“Transportation employees and employers have seen their lives turned into a living hell by thugs and hoodlums who harass, intimidate, and demand unlawful levies under the veiled protection of the Okpebholo administration.
“Similarly, Edo market women are in turmoil following the illegal imposition of a new market leader (Iyeki), who is working hand-in-glove with the Okpebholo administration to deploy thugs to extort, harass, and intimidate them. This has led to many of their businesses shutting down, with the women continuously protesting and rioting in frustration.”
According to the PDP, “fear has become a constant companion for many Edo residents, who now live with the daily anxiety of becoming the next victims of relentless intimidation, attacks, or brutality by thugs and nonstate actors employed by the Okpebholo government. One can only imagine what to expect in the coming days.”
On Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) the PDP stressed that in the last one month the state lost N1.3 billion in revenue adding “this leak is largely responsible for why for the third consecutive month, Okpebholo has failed to redeem his N500m monthly subvention pledge to the State-owned varsity, Ambrose Alli University (AAU) and meet other obligations. Under Okpebholo’s administration, Edo State has seen nothing but retrogression and gross mismanagement.”
On local government councils, PDP accused Okpebholo of annihilating the local government councils administration “under his supervision, duly elected local government chairmen and vice chairmen were, like common criminals, humiliated out of office by thugs and other non-state actors using horse whips and other dangerous weapons.
“This was despite the ruling of every court in the land, from the Chief Judge of Edo State to the Supreme Court, and an Edo State High Court, as well as the advisory of the President through the Attorney General of the Federation(AGF), against Okpebholo’s failed illegal suspension and removal of the local council executives.”
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