30th December, 2021
By Jethro Ibileke
Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Edo State, Mr. David Imuse, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a State of Emergency in the state, over alleged collapse of governance of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Imuse, who made the call in a statement on Thursday, said the call is predicated on the fact that Obaseki prefers to be a Sole Administrator of the State, rather than a democratically elected Governor.
He accused Obaseki of dictatorship, having allegedly emasculated the Judiciary, crippled the Legislature and personalized the Executive branch, thereby acting as Sole Administrator of the State.
According to Col Imuse, “He is the lawmaker, the judge and the prison put together. Edo is the only state in Nigeria today without a functional Legislature. What is happening with the 10 PDP jokers who gather regularly at Governor Obaseki’s office is comical.
“What Obaseki is practicing in Edo today is a democratic taboo. And when a taboo in allowed to exist for too long, it becomes a tradition. If this taboo is allowed to be exported to other States, using Obaseki as a reference, it will endanger our democratic culture. Edo is in a serious trouble.”
The Edo APC Chairman added that Obaseki’s flagrant abuse of power is not provided for, anywhere in the 1999 Constitution as amended.
According to him, the “Constitution which our country, Nigeria is still operating remains the grundnorm. So, we wonder where Mr. Obaseki is deriving his powers from, as there is no section, in the Constitution either, for a Maximum Ruler or Sole Administrator as we presently have in Edo.
“For almost one-year, Local government administration in Edo state has been thrown into a coma, with the governor’s decision not to conduct elections for Chairmen and Councilors.
“For a Governor who daily interfered with the State’s local government council’s statutory allocations, is it not self-indictment to say that unless he is able to clear the N60billion debt they owe, he cannot conduct LG elections?
“As I speak right now, Mr. Obaseki is demolishing the Central Hospital, Benin City with a view to replacing it with a Motor Park. The Government says it has no plans for such demolition two months ago (October) but if you go to Sapele Road by the Hospital this minute, you will see what I am talking about. We know the demolition is imminent and we call on Mr. Obaseki to stop or be ready for the consequences.”
Meanwhile, the Edo State Government has demanded that Edo APC’s call for state of emergency should be directed at the APC-led federal government.
The State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Barr. Andrew Emwanta, stated this Thursday, while reacting to APC in a statement.
The statement noted that APC’s demand for State-of-Emergency is not only a slap on the faces of citizens of the State, but a sign of selective amnesia.