Politics
Edo: PDP Blasts APC Over Emergency Rule
The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency in the state over what it called the “collapse of governance.”
The opposition party in the state said that the call became imperative given the fact that Governor Godwin Obaseki “has emasculated the judiciary, crippled the legislature and personalised the executive branch by acting as the sole administrator of Edo State,” where “his word is law; he is the lawmaker, the judge and the prison put together.”
The state Chairman of the party, Col. David Imuse (retd.), who made the call while addressing journalists at the party’s secretariat in Benin on Thursday added that Obaseki’s “flagrant abuse of power is not provided for anywhere in the 1999 Constitution as amended.”
Imuse stated that though elected democratically, the governor was actually functioning as the sole administrator of the state and lamenting that over a year into his second term, “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 practising in Edo today is a democratic taboo. And when a taboo is 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 serious trouble.
“Mr Obaseki’s flagrant abuse of power is not provided for anywhere in the 1999 Constitution as amended. Meanwhile, this 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 councillors. For a governor, who daily interfered with the state’s local government councils’ statutory allocations, is it not self-indictment to say that unless he is able to clear the N60bn debt they owe, he cannot conduct LG elections?
However, the state Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Andrew Emwanta, said the call by the state chapter of the APC for the declaration of a state of emergency in the state should be directed to the Federal Government, under whose rule Nigerians were being slaughtered and maimed on a daily basis across the country.
Emwanta, in a statement, noted that the issues raised about governance and development by the party were not only a slap on the faces of the citizens of Edo State, but a sign of selective amnesia.
He stated, “Edo State, as of today, is perhaps the most peaceful place to live in the entire country with incidences of crime and criminality in the state over the last three months nearing almost zero, and the APC dares to call for a state of emergency in the state when it superintends over a Federal Government under which Nigerians are slaughtered and maimed on a daily basis all across Nigeria.
“Can the Edo APC not see that its call for a state of emergency should be more appropriately directed to a federal government, which it leads and that has reduced the value of Nigerian lives to near nothing?
“In Nigeria today, under the leadership of the APC, which their shameless and ragtag executive committee in Edo, who addressed the press conference represents, you cannot travel from Abuja to Kaduna; Abuja to Keffi; or from Abuja to Minna by road without a 70 per cent chance of being attacked, kidnapped or killed by bandits. Yet, these palace jesters gather in the safety of Benin City, provided by the excellent leadership of Governor Godwin Obaseki, and mouth non-existent chaos.
“The APC wants a state of emergency declared in a state that did not only pay salaries and pensions of state government workers by the 14th of December, but also released funds to the local governments to ensure that their employees are also paid salaries in time for the yuletide celebrations, while the APC-led Federal Government was struggling to meet their FAAC obligations for the end of the year.
Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has appointed Nigerian music legend, Innocent Idibia, popularly known as TuFace, as his Technical Adviser on Entertainment and Community Outreach.
In a viral video on Wednesday, Governor Alia praised TuFace for all the support towards his administration.
The Governor stated that TuFace can do more.
He stated, “On behalf of the Benue State Government and our very good people, we want to give you some more responsibility plus the ones you have been doing because you have the capacity to do some more and help us chart a way forward to improve other people’s lives and to gain more from your wisdom and advice as well.
“So, I’m pleased to announce that we will make you a Technical Adviser to the Governor on Entertainment and Community Outreach.”
Governor of Delta State, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The announcement was made following a closed-door meeting at the Government House in Asaba on Wednesday.
The Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Sir Festus Ahon, confirmed the development in a telephone conversation with The Tide’s source.
Similarly, the defection of former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa was announced on Wednesday in Asaba by Senator James Manager, following a meeting that lasted over six hours at the Government House.
Senator Manager said all PDP members in the State, including the Governor, former Governor Okowa, the Speaker, the state party chairman, and all local government chairmen, had agreed to join the APC.
“We cannot continue to be in a sinking boat,” he said.
The decision to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) followed extensive consultations with political stakeholders and was made in the interest of Delta State’s long-term development.
Governor Oborevwori, who won the 2023 gubernatorial election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was received by senior APC officials in what political analysts are already describing as a strategic realignment with far-reaching implications ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria has condemned the recent wave of killings in Plateau, Borno, Benue, Niger State and most recently, Kwara State, calling on the federal and state governments to take urgent steps to stem the tide.
Chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Adebo Ogundoyin, stated this in a statement issued in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Rt Hon. Ogundoyin, who is the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, said the gruesome killings had led to tragic loss of lives, widespread displacement, and unimaginable trauma for thousands of Nigerians.
“We are alarmed by the escalating insecurity in the land and the seeming helplessness with which these attacks are met. The time for mere condemnation and rhetoric has passed; urgent and coordinated action is now required at all levels of government to end these bloodbaths and restore peace and order.
“While we acknowledge that defence and national security fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal Government, we must stress that every level of government bears responsibility for the security and welfare of the people. State governors, in particular, must rise to the occasion and fully understand that governance is not limited to road construction and ceremonial functions. True governance is rooted in the protection of lives, the preservation of order, and the alleviation of suffering,” he said.
He called on state governments to complement the efforts of the Federal Government by making and enforcing enabling laws for community policing and other grassroots-driven security models.
According to him, States must develop proactive frameworks that integrate local intelligence, social support systems, and youth engagement in the fight against insecurity.
The conference also urged the Federal Government to meaningfully engage the citizenry and introduce bold, practical measures to cushion the hardship caused by its current economic policies.
“Millions of Nigerians are groaning under the weight of inflation, unemployment, and a cost-of-living crisis. It is imperative that relief initiatives—targeted, transparent, and impactful—are rolled out without delay. Dialogue, not distance, must define the relationship between the government and its people at this critical time.
“The Conference of Speakers affirms its commitment to supporting all legislative actions necessary to restore security, promote justice, and foster inclusive governance across the country. The killings in Benue, Niger, Plateau, Borno, Kwara, and any part of Nigeria must not be allowed to continue unchecked. Justice must prevail, and peace must be restored.
“Let it be known: the safety, dignity, and well-being of every Nigerian must remain the top priority of all arms and levels of government,” Rt Hon. Ogundoyin said.