We read the advertorial published by the Edo State Government on Tuesday, January 28, 2019, titled: “Oshiomhole’s Perpetual Disruption of Public Peace, Safety in Edo….Continues to Promote Crisis in Edo APC”, signed by the Secretary to the Edo State Government, Osarodion Ogie Esq, with disbelief due to the futile attempt by governor Godwin Obaseki to mischievously deceive the public about the happenings in Edo State APC.

The problem in Edo State APC today was cooked and delivered by governor Godwin Obaseki. The governor who rode to become governor on the back of Oshiomhole enjoys attributing the crisis to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the National Chairman of the APC so as to make himself popular, nothing more. It is very sad that governor Obaseki decided to embark on this self-imposed war of attrition due to his desperate ambition to secure a second term ticket under the APC.

The National Chairman has no hand in the crisis in the APC in Edo State, rather the crisis is as a result of the governor’s decision to abandon APC members and leaders who made him governor against all odds. More worrisome is that the governor has abandoned the progressive ideals of the APC which includes provision of dividends of democracy to the people of the state, and now focused his energy and resources of the state in his craze to remove the National Chairman of our great party, Comrade Oshiomhole.

So for Governor Obaseki to persistently sing the name of Oshiomhole as the cause of the crisis in Edo APC is not only lies but an attempt by the governor to divert the attention of the public about the real cause of the crisis. It is even an insult for Governor Obaseki to claim that Comrade Oshiomhole has been suspended by the party in Edo State. We want to state categorically that no body suspended Oshiomhole in his ward, rather it was Obaseki and his appointees at Government House that are parroting those lies due to the fact that APC leaders in Edo state have vowed to challenge him at the primaries due to his monumental failure as governor of Edo state. Governor Obaseki has spent billions of naira signing MOUs in Edo state with nothing on ground to show for it. Was it Oshiomhole who shut down all the State institutions making it impossible for thousands of Edo students in the College of Education Ekiadolor which was up graded by the Oshiomhole administration,to a university, to access education while the workers are today jobless and roaming the streets of Benin City? Was it Oshiomhole that shut down the College of Agriculture Iguorakhi? All these were perpetrated by the Obaseki led administration and that is why today he is at war with the people and not with Oshiomhole.

Today, Governor Obaseki introduced violence in the politics of Edo state after his illegally inaugurated the Edo State House of Assembly with nine members elect out of 24 and yet he has continued to perpetrate illegality with reckless abandon. Governor of Obaseki has defied the National Assembly who directed him to issue fresh proclamation so that Edo State House of Assembly will be properly inaugurated. Was it Oshiomhole who inaugurated the House at 9:30pm, which the Supreme Court in an earlier ruling described as nocturnal? APC members have been attacked in Ikpoba Okhai, Owan West, Owan East, Ovis South West, Oredo, Etsako Central by thugs loyal to the state government because they have the huge resources to fight political foes. This is the worst dictatorship Edo people have witnessed since the creation of this state. Even during the military regime, the people of the old Bendel State never witnessed such madness.
We feel embarrass each time they waste Edo tax payers money publishing lies against party leaders, particularly the National Chairman of the APC, who without him there would be no APC in Edo state. As we speak the who is who in Edo PDP have defected to the APC and were received by Oshiomhole because they appreciated the leadership of our National Chairman, but rather than embrace these new comers, governor Obaseki busied himself frustrating APC rallies, burning podiums and threatening members for receiving PDP members into the APC. And curiously, this is a governor who has never attracted any opposition member into the party since he became governor of the state in 2016.

Today, the houses of most APC leaders have been marked for destruction. Many are being threatened for not supporting his second term ambition. Anywhere APC members are holding their peaceful meetings, they are attacked by armed thugs recruited across the state by the Edo state government. Even the PDP in Edo state has never in history antagonized APC members like it is being witnessed currently. Edo state government thugs invaded the Benin City residence of Comrade Oshiomhole last year. After that they invaded his community in Iyamho. They unleashed mayhem on party members December 13, 2019, the day thousands of PDP leaders in Edo South led by Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu defected to the APC. Just last week Saturday, they destroyed the podium and chairs decorated for APC rally, where over thirty thousand PDP leaders in Edo North senatorial district were received into the party by the National Chairman.

We want to state clearly that we decided to remain calm due to persistent plea by our leader, Comrade Oshiomhole not to match force with force. Neither governor Obaseki, or his Deputy Philip Shaibu have monopoly of violence. But one thing we can assure governor Obaseki is that we will resist any attempt to destroy APC in Edo state. We believe that because he got the governorship on a platter of gold he does not understand what building a party means. It is obvious that from his actions, he is not a stakeholder in the party, but as stakeholders in the party, we will protect our party and stop governor Obaseki from destroying it. Nigerians should ask Governor Obaseki his results during the Presidential election. He lost his polling unit, ward, LGA and senatorial district to PDP. While our leader Oshiomhole, won his unit, ward, Federal constituency and entire senatorial district for President Muhammadu Buhari. So what political clout does he have to claim leadership of Edo APC? Who told him elections are won at the golf course?

So we urge Nigerians to disregard his series of lies. Obaseki can abuse Oshiomhole till he gets tired but as stakeholders, we insist that if he really wants to contest for a second term, he must face some of us at the APC primaries. We will tell him that only performance can win him the ticket and not abusing Oshiomhole. As a toddler in politics, he failed to understand that Oshiomhole has completed his tenure as governor of Edo state and is not seeking for a second term. And today, by the special grace of God, he is our National Chairman and we appreciate the good work he has done in the APC and we are solidly with him. Its shameful that rather for a man who was elected governor to focus on governance, he decided to busy himself pursuing political opponents. This shows that he was never qualified in the first place to be saddled with this huge responsibility.

We are glad that despite the huge funds of the state being expended in various legal cases against APC members, especially our National Chairman, Comrade Oshiomhole, by the Obaseki led administration, the High Court in Abuja had Wednesday, January 29, 2020 struck out the suit filed by the governor’s loyalists, querying the eligibility of Comrade Oshiomhole in office. Obaseki and his cohorts will continue to crash in their futile attempt to remove the National Chairman of the APC. Such evil plots do not succeed because the God does not sleep and cannot grant the prayers of an ungrateful man. And we want to put him on notice that all the Edo state funds being wasted in this evil venture will be accounted for some day.

A WORD IS ENOUGH FOR THE WISE

SIGNED:

Gen.Charles Airhiavbere (Rtd)
Dr Pius Odubu
Engr.Chris Ogiemwonyi
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu
Chief Solomon Edebiri
Mr Saturday Uwuilekhue