The Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has described as outright falsehood, the claim by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, that the Edo State government has approved land for the establishment of a cattle colony in the state.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr Crusoe Osagie, said in a statement issued on Monday in Benin City, that the claim is a barefaced and brazen lie concocted by the PDP.
“Our attention has been drawn to another set of lies by the dying Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has approved land for the establishment of cattle colonies in Edo State.
“We wish to categorically state that the Godwin Obaseki-led government has not entered into any agreement for cattle colonies in any part of Edo State.
“The claim is the PDP’s concoction, fabrication, and the aim … is to attempt to smear the rising profile and image of the Obaseki administration,” Osagie said.
He noted that the “PDP’s resort to outright falsehood as a tactic for redeeming its irredeemable image, demonstrates the party’s lack of capacity to engage in intellectual and ideological contestations.
“Only a hopeless party like the PDP tells such barefaced, blatant and brazen lies because it has no issues to bring to the table. It is also not true that the Edo State Government is not doing anything about the activities of the Fulani herdsmen in Edo North.
“The security challenges we face today in Nigeria’s North East region originated with the PDP.”
He explained that “every educated Nigerian knows that the nation’s security apparatus are controlled by the federal government and it will amount to sheer mischief to blame Governor Obaseki for the nation’s security challenges.”
He assured that the Edo State Government was working assiduously to attend to all the needs of Edo people and residents in the state including the protection of lives and properties and will not be distracted by the false and bogus claims of the bandits who ruined Edo State when they were in power.
“No amount of misinformation by the ailing PDP will sway Edo people and residents in the state, who witnessed the criminal activities of the PDP while the party was in power. Edo people are very intelligent who can sense a lie from a distance.
“The PDP lacks the credibility to speak on any issue in Edo State. Rogues and looters cannot suddenly turn advocates of good governance. PDP cannot give what it does not have.”