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.
The former two-term governor went down memory lane to recall how they founded the APC but were used and dumped.
In his words, “…those calling on us to join APC, we have agreed to join the APC but on clear agreement that protects and respects the interest of my party, NNPP and my political movement, Kwankwasiyya. No state where you go that you don’t have NNPP and Kwankwasiyya. We have gubernatorial candidates, senatorial candidates and others.
“We are ready to join APC under strong conditions and promises. We will not allow anyone to use us and later dump us.
“We were among the founding fathers of the APC and endured significant persecution from various security agencies while challenging the previous administration.
“Yet when the party assumed power, we received no recognition or appreciation for our sacrifices, simply because we didn’t originate from their original faction.
“We are not in a hurry to leave the NNPP; we are enjoying and have peace of mind. But if some want a political alliance that would not disappoint us like in the past, we are open to an alliance. Even if it is the PDP that realised their mistakes, let’s enter an agreement that will be made public,” Sen. Kwankwaso stated.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed long-standing claims that he once sought to extend his tenure in office, insisting he never pursued a third term.
Speaking at the Democracy Dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Chief Obasanjo said there is no Nigerian, living or dead, who can truthfully claim he solicited support for a third term agenda.
“I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian, dead or alive, that would say I called him and told him I wanted a third term,” the former president declared.
Chief Obasanjo argued that he had proven his ability to secure difficult national goals, citing Nigeria’s debt relief during his administration as a much greater challenge than any third term ambition.
“I keep telling them that if I could get debt relief, which was more difficult than getting a third term, then if I wanted a third term, I would have got it too,” he said.
He further cautioned against leaders who overstay in power, stressing that the belief in one’s indispensability is a “sin against God.”
On his part, former President Goodluck Jonathan said any leader who failed to perform would be voted out of office if proper elections were conducted.
Describing electoral manipulation as one of the biggest threats to democracy in Africa, he said unless stakeholders come together to rethink and reform democracy, it may collapse in Africa.
He added that leaders must commit to the kind of democracy that guarantees a great future for the children where their voices matter.
He said: “Democracy in Africa continent is going through a period of strain and risk collapse unless stakeholders came together to rethink and reform it. Electoral manipulation remains one of the biggest threats in Africa.
“We in Africa must begin to look at our democracy and rethink it in a way that works well for us and our people. One of the problems is our electoral system. People manipulate the process to remain in power by all means.
“If we had proper elections, a leader who fails to perform would be voted out. But in our case, people use the system to perpetuate themselves even when the people don’t want them.
“Our people want to enjoy their freedoms. They want their votes to count during elections. They want equitable representation and inclusivity. They want good education. Our people want security. They want access to good healthcare. They want jobs. They want dignity. When leaders fail to meet these basic needs, the people become disillusioned.”
The dialogue was also attended by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto diocese of Catholic Church among others who all stressed that democracy in Africa must go beyond elections to include accountability, service, and discipline.
The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday resumed plenary session after a six-month state of emergency imposed on the state by President Bola Tinubu elapsed on Wednesday midnight.
President Bola Tinubu had lifted the emergency rule on September 17, with the Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly asked to resume duties on September 18.
The plenary was presided over by the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, at the conference hall located within the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The conference hall has served as the lawmakers’ temporary chamber since their official chamber at the assembly complex on Moscow Road was torched and later pulled down by the state government.
The outgone sole administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, could not complete the reconstruction of the assembly complex as promised.
Recall that on March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the prolonged political standoff between Fubara and members of the House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
He subsequently suspended the governor, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and lawmakers for six months and installed a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), to manage the state’s affairs.
The decision sparked widespread controversy, with critics accusing the president of breaching the Constitution.
However, others hailed the move as a necessary and pragmatic step.
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