Benin — ...PDP carpets Oshiomhole on TV comments
THE Edo State government and the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Wednesday, engaged in a war of words as the government accused the opposition party of planning violent protests in the state instead of campaigning for the September 21 governorship poll because it does not have a sellable candidate.
The government also swiped at the APC leader in the state, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, who it alleged of "spewing" inaccuracies on national television.
However, the Director of Publicity, Edo APC Governorship Campaign Council, Orobosa Omo-Ojo accused the Godwin Obaseki administration of deceit, saying that they were being haunted by #EndBadGovernance protest in the state they allegedly sponsored.
Govt's challenge to Oshiomhole, Okpebholo
Addressing a press conference, the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, flanked by Governor Obaseki's Special Adviser on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, called on security agencies to keep a watch on the APC over the alleged violent protest and challenged the party's governorship candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo to a public debate in any language of his choice.
According to Nehikhare, "The APC is resorting to this devious plan because they have realized the folly of presenting an unlettered and incompetent candidate for the office of a governor.
"Reeling from the pains of selling a bad and unmarketable candidate and having failed in their desperate resort to lies and propaganda to hoodwink Edo people ahead of the September 21 governorship election, the only path the APC in Edo State now sees to promote their campaigns is to cause chaos and crisis in the State.
"While we call the attention of all security agencies in the State, including the Nigeria Police Force NPF, the Department of State Services, DSS, the Brigade Commander, 4 Brigade, Benin, among others, to take notice of this planned heinous plan by the APC to orchestrate civil unrest and cause mayhem in the state, we assure members of the public to be rest assured that the government will spare no effort within the ambit of the law to forestall this planned attack on the state and its people and ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice."
On Oshiomhole, Nehikhare said: "We beg the APC and its candidate to tell Edo people what they want to do and to also advise Senator Oshiomhole to, instead of going from TV station to TV station, give one of the slots to Okpebholo to speak. He is not contesting for governor, we admit it, he is the leader of the opposition, he is the leader of the APC heading a small section of the state, a third of the state as the senator representing Edo North, he is no longer a governorship candidate, he is no longer a governor, he should tell his candidate to come out and speak not him."
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Obaseki, Ighodalo afraid of reprisals from Edo people
In his reaction, Omo-Ojo said: "The continued rehash of phantom puny stories by Governor Obaseki and his godson, Asue Ighodalo, is a reflection of their fear of reprisals from Edo State people who recently capitalized on the End Bad Governance protest that was sponsored by Obaseki against President Bola Tinubu, to search for their hidden palliatives which the governor stored in the houses of PDP leaders.
"But contrary to Obaseki's expectation, while he was addressing his PDP members and political aides he gathered as protesters, the real protesters harkened to the call by APC to locate their rice and other palliatives hidden in Edo State Government warehouses and houses of PDP members.
"The real protesters in Ovoranmwen square hurled water sachets at Obaseki.
Obaseki and Ighodalo's constant noise is a cover-up for the grand economic corruption the two friends have committed against Edo people. Ighodalo is a worse version of Obaseki, therefore, Edo people must do everything to reject PDP at the polls on September 21, 2024."
He alleged that Obaseki had applied and got approval from the state House of Assembly to borrow N8.550 billion "for the purchase of his imaginary CNG buses" despite the N11.1 billion he received from the Federation Account in June."
