The Edo State Chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has told the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, that he lacks the moral right to accuse the Chairman of Owan West Local Government Area, Mr. Godwin Agbodion of financial mismanagement.
In a reaction to the suspension issued to Agbodion by Gov Oshiomhole on Wednesday, April 15, the chairman of the party in the state, Chief Dan Orbih, said: “I want to remind the governor of our past revelations of his mismanagement of state fund. We say a reckless and corrupt public office holder lacks the moral right to accuse another officer of financial impropriety.
“We are equally flabbergasted by the unilateral sack of an elected local government chairman without recourse to the House of Assembly. We saw this dictatorial act coming and we wish to put Edo people on notice that more of such will come.
“No doubt, Edo people under Oshiomhole have witnessed intolerance, deceit and uncultured behaviour of key political actors. Workers in the local governments are being owned backlog of salaries, the courts in Edo have been under locks and keys, teachers have been harassed and threatened with sack and the people are being traumatized with multiple taxation.
All these and several other factors provided the platform for the resounding victory of PDP in Edo State,” he concluded.
On the March 28 polls, Orbih accused the governor of concealing the truth from the Edo people. According to him: “We received with shock news of the claim by Governor Adams Oshimohole that about 140,000 out of the 150,000 void votes during the presidential election and National Assembly election in Edo State were those of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen Muhhamadu Buhari (rtd).
“We consider this utterance as pathetic to say the least. When did Governor Oshiomhole become a Returning Officer in INEC that he now apportions electoral figures?
“We had expected Governor Oshiomhole to have learnt some lessons in the resounding victory of the PDP in the election but we have again seen that the Governor has not desisted from his old ways of playing on the intelligence of Edo people.
“The statement shows that Governor Oshiomhole was economical with the truth. To set the record straight, 97,414 out of the cancelled 150,000 votes was in respect of the cancelled votes in Orhionmwon Local Government Area where no vote was recorded.
“These were not voided but cancelled votes. Orhionmwon Local Government was not captured in the election and the entire people who collected PVCs in the council were disenfranchised. This leaves Edo with about 53,000 void votes on March 28,” he added.
