Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State is tightening up on the suspended National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, in the power tussle for the control of the Edo APC. Oshiomhole had created a faction of APC in Edo to find space for his political activities in the party and has been using the federal might to stabilize the faction he created and emasculate the authentic APC in the state led by Governor Obaseki.
The Edo Governor is also maximizing the incumbency powers at his behest and using the state government apparatuses to hit back at Oshiomhole and his allies in the state.
Governor Obaseki in his new warfare, ordered various ministries in Edo State to prosecute all local government chairmen relieved of their offices for embezzling council funds.
Obaseki at the swearing in of the new chairman of Esan West Local Government Area, Ruth Osahon, at the Government House on Wednesday, noted that the local government is the most urbanised in the state with an ever growing demographic and economic activities; he, however, lamented the inability of local governments to pay workers’ salaries.
Report indicated that the former chairman of the council, Patrick Aguinede, was removed from office because of alleged gross mismanagement of public funds.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in Edo were of the view that the action of the governor may be targeted to uproot the grassroots support base of Oshiomhole, pulling off the national chairman’s loyalists in the local governments on alter of corruption.