The New Experience Newspapers Online News Indepth, Analysis and More
The Edo State government has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) demanding immediate arrest of National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole.
In the petition, sent at the instance of Governor Godwin Obaseki, the state government indicted Oshiomhole for allegedly causing disaffection in the state.
Deputy Governor, Philip Shuaibu, disclosed this in Abuja after a meeting of APC Governors sub-committee on governance where he faulted insinuations that he and Obaseki were on the verge of defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He explained that Oshiomhole breached the law by holding political rally aimed at instigating violence in the state, saying, “I am in Abuja to meet with the IG.
“I have a petition to the IG and to Director of DSS to the effect that Oshiomhole is arrested for the breakdown of law and order that he has consistently perpetrated in Edo State.
“We banned rallies, the IG in a letter also suspended rallies. He disobeyed the orders of the state government. He disobeyed the orders of the IG and feels that he is above the law.
“And for us, we have officially come now to drop our petition with the IG to the effect that Oshiomhole is not above the law, he should be arrested for violating the state government’s order.
“He (Oshiomhole) was a governor and he knows that nobody violated his orders as governor, because it is not about him, it is about the state. When everybody disobeys laws, then the country becomes the Banana Republic, God forbids.
“And that is why we are saying that the IG and the DG of DSS should arrest him and interrogate him for breaching the peace and disobeying government orders and security orders for rallies.”
When asked to confirm whether Obaseki was actually planning to dump the APC, he said, “That statement has been recurring. I can categorically tell you that Obaseki and I are in APC and we are not leaving the party.
Meanwhile, the Edo Elders Consultative Forum has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to end the lingering political crisis between Obaseki and Oshiomhole.
They said what started as a mere dispute between the governor and his predecessor had degenerated to a serious crisis, with the ensuing violence that the Edo people now live in fear and apprehension, especially over the forthcoming governorship election.
In a statement by its President-General, Chief Matthew N. Asemota and Secretary, Col. Johnbull Omo-Ojo (rtd.), the group lamented that efforts had been made in the past to resolve the crisis without success.”
They pleaded with President Buhari to call Obaseki to order so that he could concentrate on governance, stressing that the crisis had distracted him from good governance, which the Edo people craved.
The elders also faulted moves by the Obaseki-led administration to probe Oshiomhole over the Benin Specialist Hospital project, insisting that the current administration should dissipate its energies on providing dividends of democracy to Edo people.