There are ominous signs of escalated political violence in Edo State following the denial of access by the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government to opposition parties to public schools for political campaigns....READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE ▶▶
Immediate past governor of the state, and the senator representing Edo North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Adams Oshiomhole, who on Monday called out his successor for denying the All Progressives Congress (APC) use of public schools built by his administration for its campaigns, threatened to forcibly enter the schools, and retaliate by banning the governor from using federal roads in the state should the trend continue. Oshiomhole warned that nobody has monopoly of violence.
Speaking at a ward-to-ward campaign in Uromi, Esan North-East local government area of the state, he stated that he built the schools during his tenure and wondered “why my party should be denied use of the facilities for campaign”.
Reminding Governor Obaseki that “he is only a caretaker” holding a brief for Edo people, Oshiomhole threatened that “We would deny Obaseki using federal roads if he deprived us from using government schools again. Next time he stops us again, we will enter and use the facilities.”
According to the former national chairman of the APC, “Obaseki does not own the Police, the Army. It is his vigilante that carries a dane gun that he wants to use to deprive us the use of facilities. We will use them henceforth. Let them know that no one has a monopoly of violence”.
Oshiomhole also vowed that “Obaseki will be probed”, adding that “we will not support someone who forged documents”.
On the governorship debate challenge by the PDP, the former governor said the APC candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, would join in the debate “but it has to be in Esan dialect, and moderated by Esan people because charity begins at home”.
On his part, the Director General of the APC Campaign Council, Matthew Urhoghide, appealed to the people to vote for the APC on election day.
Urhoghide, former senator who represented Edo South senatorial district for two terms, said both Edo North and Edo South Senatorial Districts had agreed with the Esan agenda, hence their choice of Senator Okpebholo as the APC candidate.
Urhoghide expressed his belief in Okpebholo as a good candidate that would listen to the yearnings of the people.
Also speaking, the governorship candidate promised to create over 5000 jobs, as well as declare a state of emergency on roads, education, health and security. He assured that modern farming would be introduced with mechanised farming,
Okpebholo also assured that a peaceful environment would be created in the state as kidnapping and other various vices would go with the Obaseki-led government.
