Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of doing everything possible to stop the Local Government election in the state, saying it has so far stopped the conduct of the election twice in Esan North East Local Government Area.
The Governor said the PDP is using instruments of the federal government to harass and intimidate the voters.
Speaking during the swearing in ceremony of the Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of Oredo, Ikpoba Okha and Esan West Local Government Areas in Benin City yesterday, the governor said, “twice the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission ( EDSIEC ) tried to conduct election in Esan North East and twice the PDP disrupted it.
“When I swore in the first set of local government chairmen, I made the point about how the honourable minister of works, used armed mobile policemen, over a dozen, to intimidate the voters in Esan North East and subsequently compelled the DPO and the EO to announce the cancellation of the election and he went on television to say how could he have disturbed an election that was not held.
“Let me repeat. I did not accuse him of undermining an election that was held, we accused him of illegally using the police, conniving with the DPO to order the postponement of the election. He caused the election to be postponed because he had no chance of winning.
“The evidence was clear on that Saturday in Esan land, in Uromi you had canopies belonging to ACN , the other canopy for PDP supporters and just looking at the canopies you can see where the majority are and that was why he insisted that election must be postponed and he misused federal instrument to force that postponement in clear breach of the electoral act,” the governor noted.
According to him, “today, we could have sworn in a candidate from the local government but again he used hired thugs to confiscate election materials, carry fake result sheets and even detained people at Uromi police station.”
The Governor appealed to the opposition to allow the ballot to prevail because primordial sentiments will not work in the state again.
Comrade Oshiomhole disclosed that “even the worst critics will agree that the election of the three local government chairmen was easily the most peaceful, most transparent and the security agents were unanimous that it was the best election ever.”
The governor who urged the local government chairmen to sustain and build on the record of service of the Action Congress of Nigeria remarked that “the voters believe in us and they expect that every promise made will be delivered.
“The PDP tried to give the impression that they lost because elections were not properly conducted, they hired some miscreants to carry flags denouncing what they feel was an election not properly organized. But first the only reason anybody could talk of election in Edo State is because we promise to be different and we have demonstrated that we are different.
“We remain resolute in our commitment to upholding the principle of one man one vote and it is worth repeating that this is not a choice. There is no alternative, the era of primitive imposition is over if not in Nigeria, obviously in Edo State and nobody will govern any part of the state except as determined by the Edo Electorate,” he added.
Responding on behalf of the Chairmen, the Chairman of Oredo local government area, Mr. Osaro Obazee disclosed that they have resolved to tow the developmental strides of the Comrade Governor and to be prudent in the management of resources while delivering on the democratic principle of Nigeria as a nation.
The Chairmen of Ikpoba Okha and Esan West, Mrs. Itohan Ogbeide and Mr. Henry Irumundomon respectively also took the oath of office along with their vice chairmen.
