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| Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki |
Former Deputy Majority Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon Pally Iriase on Tuesday said the crisis rocking the Edo House Assembly points to the fact that the State Governor, Godwin Obaseki is fighting democracy.
Iriase, a member of think tank of the APC in 2015, revealed this in a chat with the Thenewsguru saying Obasekiโs action clearly connotes a war against democracy in Edo State.
The one time deputy speaker and SSG of Edo State said โpeople went for election, it was keenly contested APC won 24 over in the 24 member house.
โAfter election, people had the right to look forward to celebrating the swearing in and inauguration of the members of the Edo State Legislature in an orderly manner.
โIndeed the Constitution provides that the Governor will make proclamation and this has to be to the knowledge of every member-elect and their people.
โThe proclamation as envisaged by the constitution, did not contemplate manipulative twist for undemocratic objective.
โBut in Edo State under Obaseki, this simple, convivial but sacred event to inaugurate the peoples Assembly in Edo state was deliberately truncated, members-elect were being kidnapped and coerced to submit to swearing-in at 9pm or thereabouts.
โThis was to the chagrin of discerning people in the state.
โAs I speak to you, only 10 out of 24 members are holding sway as โEdo House of Assemblyโ. What a deliberate affront on democracy?
โWhat kind of conspiracy theory will make a sitting governor to be so paranoid as to say he will truncate democracy in his domain by not allowing a full arm of government to take root?
โAs I speak with you, people are oblivious of the fact that ten members are holding sway in Edo state house of assembly as against twenty-four, does it make any sense?
โAnd you want the Edo people to believe that your brazen attack on democracy is as a result of your contrived fight with your benefactor โ Adamโs Oshiomhole?
I call on people of goodwill in this country to ponder what violence democracy is being subjected to in Edo state and speak up now, if we believe that democratic government is preferable to autocracy. A war is ongoing against democracy and democratic tenets in Edo State and could snowball.
โThe lawmakers from my area and several other areas had no say for me and several others on the budget that Obaseki will be basing his governance on, is that democracy?
โWhy do we call it democracy, is it not the government of the people, by the people and for the people? How is it a government of such in Edo state today?
โIt becomes a government of Obaseki, by Obaseki and for Obaseki and all of these is swept under the carpet of oh it is Oshiomole.
โI want to know what Oshiomole has done in this.โ
He added: โOshiomhole as far as I am concerned had an excellent tenure as our governor and as far as I know he is not contesting any election in the State.โ
