Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State held a victory march round Benin City, yesterday, shortly after the Election Petitions Tribunal sitting Benin City affirmed his victory at the July 14, 2012 gubernatorial election and hailed the judiciary for standing on the side of the truth.
Joined by a mammoth crowd of supporters, the march took off from the High Court premises on Sapele road, to the Oba Ovoramwen Square down top Mission road down to the New Bin market up to New Lagos road to Lawani Street to Ibviame street to Wire road down to Oba Market and climaxed at the Oba Ovoramwen square. The victory lasted several hours and covered about 8.6km.
The Governor who was cheered by road users, traders and others during the victory march danced to melodious tunes during the march.
Addressing the mammoth crowd at the Oba Ovoramwen square at the end of the march, Oshiomhole said: “this afternoon, I ask you to join me to thank God Almighty for upholding the victory of Edo people because unless God gives you victory no man can give you victory.
“We as ordinary people cannot understand or appreciate how the lions of yesterday have reduced to the mushroom of today. How the underdogs of yesterday have become the victors of today. How those who boast of money and influence have been humbled by the infinite powers of God using Edo people to speak loud and clear.
“I want to thank all of you across the 192 wards that voted on the 14th of July and resoundingly reposed confidence not only in me as the governor but also in my party, Action Congress of Nigeria ACN and the values that we stand for,” he noted.
Oshiomhole narrated that all his life, he had been oppressed, victimised and prosecuted and the Nigerian Judiciary has always stood by him.
“When I was a union leader in the textile industry, they arrested me. They used the court but they failed. As the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress over a period of eight years, they moved me from one magistrate to another on false charges, the court set me free. In 2006 and 2007, they stole the votes and the courts retrieved the votes. Now on July 14, PDP lost in every ward in Edo South, they lost in every ward in Edo North and Central, we won in all the local governments in the state,” the governor added.
Comrade Oshiomhole noted that, “today most Nigerians believe that nothing is impossible. I want to say to you that Nigeria remains a great country. We have our challenges, we have our weaknesses, we also have hope that our today would be better than our yesterday.”
“The judiciary has again spoken that Edo people in their free will voted overwhelmingly for me and ACN and today I believe that mandate is settled.
“We want to thank the judiciary for doing justice and for those elegant words so creatively weaved together by those eminent judges that summarily dismissed the petition this morning”, he said.
He asserted further that, “the task ahead is to move on. The purpose of the mandate is clear to me. Edo people want good governance, Edo people want us to take the state to the next level. Edo people believe that we have done well in the first term. That is why all of them want us to continue. They want to make a statement that Edo State is the Heartbeat of the Nation.”
Oshiomhole said, “I promise all the great people of Edo State that I will give my all to the state. I want to assure the Benin Monarch that we will take Benin Kingdom to the next level,” adding that, “the task of the Action Congress of Nigeria in the state is to use the resources available to provide the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people.”
He appealed to the people to try to keep the environment clean, noting that, “if we must make progress we will need courage to enforce the laws and we must step on toes so that progress can flourish.”
