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The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Saturday reacted to the remarks by the former Lagos State Governor and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu on Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State.
The PDP said It showed that some persons in the APC were embittered because the governor refused them access to the state treasury.
This is the second statement issued by the PDP on Saturday in response to Tinubu’s attack on Obaseki.
The PDP Vice Chairman, South South, Dan Orbih had earlier advised Tinubu to focus on his “epileptic 2023 presidential ambition,” instead of wasting his time and energy on the political situation in the state.
Orbih advised Tinubu to let the state be and desist from accusing the governor.
Tinubu had, on Friday night took a dig at Obaseki and predicted a loss for the governor at the September 19th governorship poll in the state.
Tinubu maintained that the governor will be voted out due to his “woeful leadership”, adding that Obaseki promised to be a leader of all the citizens in the state, but has denied 2/3 of the people of his state their right to representation in the state’s only legislative chamber.
He had also accused Obaseki of committing impeachable offences.
Edo State has been embroiled in political crisis since Thursday when armed policemen invaded and took over the state House of Assembly.
But reacting to the former Lagos governor’s remark in another statement, the PDP national Spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, called on Tinubu to “stop whining over the failure of the coup against the Edo state House of Assembly by the APC.”
Ologbondiyan also noted that
Tinubu’s comment has proven true the allegation that the “horrendous attempt to seize the Edo legislature has the fingers of the APC leadership for their personal reasons.”
Below is the full statement of the PDP
“The Peoples Democratic Party National Campaign Council for Edo state governorship election counsels the former Governor of Lagos state, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to stop whining over the failure of the coup against the Edo state House of Assembly by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The PDP Campaign said the whining by Asiwaju Tinubu has further validated allegations that the horrendous attempt to seize the Edo legislature has the fingers of the APC leadership for their personal reasons.
Our Campaign notes that Asiwaju’s position also confirms allegations that some people in the APC are bitter with Governor Godwin Obaseki because he (Obaseki) refused to allow the APC cabal to have access to Edo treasury as well as his refusal to foist illegal levies and taxes on the people.
Our Campaign stands with the people of Edo state and Governor Obaseki in their firm decision not to allow certain APC interests to impose and collect suppressive levies and taxes from house owners, school proprietors, hotel owners, taxi drivers, okada riders, market women as well as artisans who are struggling to make a living in Edo State.
The APC cabal is distraught because Governor Obaseki will never compromise or mortgage the welfare and wellbeing of the people of Edo state, hence their desperate attempt to foist their stooge on the state.
It is however imperative for leaders like Asiwaju not to allow himself to be dragged into putting personal and group pecuniary and political interests over and above the collective interest and wellbeing of the people of Edo state.
It may however interest Asiwaju to note that Nigerians have been waiting for a patriotic statement from him that would address the humongous corruption in this administration particularly in Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), North East Development Commission (NEDC) and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), among others.
What Nigerians also expect of leaders like Tinubu at this time is to be a voice of caution to self-confessed liars like Oshiomhole and characters like Ize-Iyamu, whom Oshiomhole exposed as a thief, acid bather and person of questionable character, who should not be trusted with the governorship of Edo state.
Nigerians further expected Asiwaju, as a legislator, to counsel the deserters in Edo state, who abandoned their seats for more than 180 days, and in the process lost their seats, to wait for the ruling of the court or prepare for a bye-election to prove their acceptance by the people.
We wonder if Asiwaju, as a senator, abandoned his seat at the parliament for 180 days. Of course, he did not, because he is aware of the implications.
Our campaign, therefore, counsels Asiwaju and indeed other APC leaders to desist from any attempts that would colour illegality because of personal interests.
Our campaign which enjoys the full followership and support of the Edo people wants Tinubu to know that contrary to his claims, Governor Obaseki has committed no impeachable acts by working in the interests of the people of Edo State.
Governor Obaseki towers high above the shenanigans of the APC Cabal and will be overwhelmingly re-elected by the people of Edo state, come September 19.”