Chairman of the Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council, Chief Dan Orbih, on Saturday berated the national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, over purported call for the impeachment of Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State. Orbih at a press conference in Benin City on Saturday, blasted the former Lagos State governor over his seeming incisive statement insinuating that Governor Obaseki committed impeachable offences in his interventions in the crisis ravaging the Edo State House of Assembly.
Orbih cautioned Tinubu that his brand of politics or leadership in the south-west is not appealing to the people of Edo State, warning that Edo is not Lagos.
The PDP Campaign Council chairman alleged that Tinubu has already compiled the list of commissioners, some of whom are not indigenes of Edo State, for the APC governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. He advocated that Tinubu cannot redraw the political map of Edo State which has been part of the Mid-Western region created in 1963. He insisted that Edo people should be allowed to decide who governs them.
“I want to state that Edo is not Lagos. We have been informed that he has since drawn up a list of Commissioners which has been handed over to the APC candidate, which is made up of people who are not even from Edo State because that is his style.
“The Midwestern Region was created in 1963, Tinubu cannot redraw the political tree of Edo State with Oshiomhole and their preferred candidate. Edo people should be allowed to decide their destiny.
“Tinubu has put the entire Lagos State in his pocket. The huge revenue that accrues to Lagos State goes to his pocket and by his whims, he decides how much is devoted to development or any other business of government. Edo is not Lagos.
“We are putting him on notice that such a thing cannot and will never work in Edo. We are independent people and would not be put in the pocket of one man. The Lagos godfather shall soon find out that indeed Edo is not Lagos and he cannot extend his banana republic to Edo State,” Orbih declared.
Dan Orbih further stated: “It doesn’t make any sense for Tinubu to sit down in the comfort of his home and draw up grounds for impeachment for the elected governor of Edo State.
“I have read through his statement and come to the conclusion that he is not aware of the issues concerning the incident at the State House of Assembly. It is proper to say that we only have 10 members of the state House of Assembly today who are legally representing their constituencies.
“I should expect that as a former Governor of Lagos State, that he should know better that once a proclamation is made by the governor of a state, the law does not allow him to make a second proclamation.
“The governor made a proclamation for the House after which only 10 members turned up to take the oath of office. The other 14 members stayed away from the House on the instructions of a man who had nominated them as candidates of the APC in the House of Assembly election. This man is Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. He instructed them to stay away from the activities of the House. Even those who submitted themselves, if they decide to stay away from the House for 180 days, their seats would be declared vacant, talk more of those who didn’t show up.”
The PDP leader also berated Tinubu over his silence or deliberate disregard of similar incident when former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, renovated the state House of Assembly complex.
“During the tenure of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, when he was renovating the Assembly Complex, the members, through a resolution, relocated to the old Legislative House in Government House.
“Tinubu didn’t condemn Oshiomhole when he relocated the legislature to the Government House, just like Obaseki has done. But he is quick to jump at telling Edo people that the actions of Obaseki amount to an impeachable offence.
“But let me make it clear that it is now obvious to Edo people that what is going on at the State House of Assembly is influenced by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He will be resisted vehemently. I repeat, Edo is not Lagos,” Orbih declared.