The 18 Local Government Area chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Edo State and the government over the weekend engaged in war of words over the administrations of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
The 18 Local Government Area chairmen of APC in Edo State over the weekend took a swipe at the seven-year administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki, describing it as years of waste, woes and non-performance.
In response, Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikare dismissed the opposition party leaders, stating that they are blinded by ignorance and attempting to downplay the governor’s achievements over the past seven years.
Addressing a press conference in Benin City, the Chairman of APC in Ovia North East and Chairman of Chairmen, Oscar Aghedo, said the Obaseki’s annual Alaghodaro Summit which means, ‘moving forward’, actual means “alaghiyeke” which means moving backward and tagged the governor as the worst governor of the state since 1999.
Aghedo highlighted that Oshiomhole’s strong endorsement of Obaseki as his successor was based on Obaseki’s impressive performance. Despite advice to the contrary, Oshiomhole insisted on Obaseki and leveraged his own accomplishments to secure victory for Obaseki, albeit by a narrow margin.
He, however, regretted that seven years after, “It is visible to the blind and audible to the deaf; that seven years down the lane it can conveniently be said and discussed that Edo State is fast becoming a failed State of seven years of torture, seven years of hardship, seven years of deceit, seven years of underdevelopment, seven years of infrastructural decadence, seven years of insecurity, seven years of failed promises, seven years of financial recklessness, seven years of indebtedness.”
Aghedo said “The wake and see Governor as he was nicknamed later dawned on the people that the name was only synonymous to destruction of properties rather than development. The yearly ritual of his program Alaghodaro which Edo people have now come to realise is actually the celebration of Alaghiyeke Government has not only been sustained by deceit but an avenue to syphon our common wealth. Nothing meaningful has been achieved by the jamboree in these past seven years, rather a continuous waste of taxpayers’ money.
“Edo people are wiser now and it is our common prayer that affliction should and will not arise the second time. The Era of SSA’s and other emergency empowerment is back again.
Aghedo pointed out that people from the state have migrated to avoid the hardships caused by the current government. He urged the people to vote for an alternative government that the APC aims to provide in the upcoming 2024 elections.
In his reaction, the state Commissioner for Communication and Orientation said that Obaseki had fulfilled almost 100 per cent of the promises he made to the people, adding that “Edo people have passed the stage where they just vote for someone, let them tell Edo people what they have in mind, what they want to do.
In his words, “In 2017, the governor made promises and if you go back the promises he made, you can testify that he has met 95 percent of these promises and that is the kind of government Edo people want, that when you make promises, you draw a road map and the road map is flowed to the later
“But when these party chairmen that are localised wherever they come from that cannot see beyond their noses, when they make statements, it is embarrassing to Edo people. Edo people cannot be fooled by their ignorance”, Nehikhare emphasised.
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