By Emma Ogbuehi
The Enogie of Obazuwa in Ovia North Local Government Area (LGA) of Edo State, His Royal Highness (HRH) Prince Edun Akenzua, has said that persons opposed to the reelection of the Edo State Governor and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Godwin Obaseki, have not been able to show tenable reason for their decision.
The traditional ruler made the remarkwhile receiving Governor Obaseki, who paid him a courtesy visit in his palace, as part of his ward-to-ward re-election campaign in Edo South Senatorial District, on Tuesday.
Receiving the governor who was accompanied by his deputy and running mate, Rt. Hon. Comr. Philip Shaibu, and other members of the Edo PDP Campaign Council, Prince Akenzua hailed the governor’s landmark achievements across the various sectors of the state, praying that the ancestors of the land grant the governor victory at the poll.
According to the royal father, “Some people have said that they do not want you to come back, sadly, none of them has come to tell us what the Governor has not done, what he should have done or tell us what he shouldn’t have done that he did.So, we are very happy with him.
“Since you came into office, almost four years ago, we, the Enigies in Ovia North East Local Government Area (LGA) are particularly happy with your government.”
He warned that those who are bent on subverting the will of the electorate in the forthcoming election will have the ancestors to battle with.
“We can only pray that God and our ancestors will accompany you and your team,” he added.
Earlier in his remarks, Obaseki said his government carried out a forest audit in the state as part of measures to reclaim the natural habitat for economic benefits.
He decried the activities of poachers over the years and disclosed steps to regenerate the forest as well as expand oil palm cultivation.
The PDP candidate also sought the support and prayers of the people ahead of the election in his bid to consolidate on the achievements recorded by his administration in the first term.
He explained: “We have done a forest audit to see what is left and use it to regenerate the forest that used to be the hub for timber. We are not here to campaign to you but to let you know that over the last four years, we have started a redesign of Ovia North East Local Government Area, first by bringing in some basic and key infrastructure which the people have been lacking.
“I assure you that in the next four years, if I am given the chance, we will be able to construct roads that will connect our communities. We will rejig the economy of Ovia North East; this place used to be the state’s economic hub, logging timber and forestry in the late 60s which built our wealth as an empire.”
Obaseki noted that “Today, deforestation has occurred and we practically don’t have forest left. What we have done is to do a forest audit to see what we have left and how to use the degraded land for cultivation of valuable crops like oil palm and rubber.
“I have over a 100 people in the whole of Ovia North East doing the survey because we have investors who are lined up. We also have the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) behind us to ensure that we use all the land that is available for cultivation of oil palm.
“We believe if we are able to do this in the next three to five years, we will regenerate the economy of Ovia North East which will improve the living standards of our people.”
