Echotitbits – Nigeria News

Tag: Edo State Guber Election

  • Buhari Congratulates Obaseki as PDP Tells President to Sustain His ‘Newfound’ Democratic Credentials

    Buhari Congratulates Obaseki as PDP Tells President to Sustain His ‘Newfound’ Democratic Credentials

    President Muhammadu Buhari congratulated the winner of the Saturday Edo State governorship election, Godwin Obaseki, and urged him to show grace and humility in victory.

    The President commended the election process in Edo State which led to Obaseki’s victory as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    This was coming as the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) celebrated the party’s victory and congratulated the people of Edo State on the re-election of their choice leader.

    Obaseki Wins Edo Guber Poll, Defeats Ize-Iyamu

    The party implored Buhari to sustain his “newfound spirit of ensuring that the people are allowed to freely choose their leaders at all elections.”

    PDP described the victory as historic, noting that it served as a strong, viable and unambiguous lesson to leaders, saying Ondo State governorship election is the next target of the party.

    Speaking on the outcome of the election as announced by INEC, Buhari said: “My commitment to free and fair elections is firm, because without free and fair elections, the foundation of our political and moral authority will be weak.

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    “I have consistently advocated for free and fair elections in the country because it is the bedrock of true democratic order.

    “Democracy will mean nothing if the votes of the people don’t count or if their mandate is fraudulently tampered with.”

    The President, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, commended the people of Edo State, the parties, candidates and security agencies for conducting themselves responsibly.

    Also, speaking on its victory at Edo State guber poll, PDP commended the courage of the people of the state for resisting what it described as antics of the enemies of democracy.

    PDP said: “Our party celebrates the resilience and courage exhibited by the people of Edo state in resisting the antics of the enemies of democracy, who, as vote buyers, patrons of lions and tigers, as well as beguilers, attempted to take over the political space of Edo state.

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    “We rejoice with the Edo people for helping to reset the political culture of our nation by casting their votes, protecting the votes, ensuring that their votes counted and following it, ‘bumper-to-bumper,’ to the final point of declaration.

    “Our party commends traditional institutions, faith-based organizations, youth groups, market women, artisans, community associations, trade unions, traditional leaders and other stakeholders in Edo state for standing up for their state during her critical moments.

    “On account of the reverberation of this victory across the length and breath of our country, the PDP implores President Muhammadu Buhari to continue in this newfound spirit of ensuring that the people are allowed to freely choose their leaders at all elections.

    “Our party states this in our belief that in spite of his administration’s failure in other spheres of life as well as in previous elections, if Mr. President can continue to toe this new line of allowing for electoral uprightness, history will be beckoned to be kind to him.

    Edo: PDP Supporter Boasts Obaseki’s Achievements Will Be Rewarded At Saturday Poll

    “To the ‘political godfathers,’ this election must serve as a loud lesson that power belongs only to God, which He confers through the people; and that no matter how an individual strives to lord it over others, the will of God, through the people, will always prevail.

    “Our party also notes the efforts of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under Prof. Yakubu Mahmood in ensuring that Edo election was conducted in a manner that was largely adjudged to be free, fair, transparent and credible. Nigerians hope that what we have witnessed in Edo state will not be an off-season procedure in the commission. We demand that this credible process applies to all our elections.”

    The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, applauded “the use of virtual portal by INEC to upload results directly from the polling unit, the base of our election, which made it impossible for electoral violators to hijack this electoral process.”

    “It is our hope in PDP that this new found image of INEC will gather more thresholds in future elections, particularly the October 10, 2020 Ondo governorship election.

    “We however call on INEC to strengthen its processes, particularly in the area of card readers, to forestall the type of delays witnessed in accreditation of voters.

    “Our party also notes the improvement in the activities of our security agencies compared to past elections. We hope that our security organs will continue in this stead in future elections.

    “The Edo election has indeed shown that credible elections are possible in our country if we play by the rules,” the party said.

    PDP also applauded the international community for their keen observation of the electoral processes as well as profiling of those who are bent on undermining our democracy and making free and fair elections appear impossible in Nigeria.

    “We urge the international community and all lovers of democracy not to relent in providing necessary advisory to our leaders on the conduct of our elections,” the party noted.

    PDP restated its support for the actions taken so far by the United States and the United Kingdom in restricting electoral violators from visiting their countries, urging “them not to restrain on further sanctions against such individuals for their sinister roles in our elections.”

    The party also appreciated the Chairman of its National Campaign Council and Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, for providing the right leadership that led to the victory in Edo State.

    It commended the party National Chairman, Uche Secondus; Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal; Chairman of South-south PDP Governors’ Forum and Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa; as well as all PDP governors, National Assembly caucus, elders, leaders, critical stakeholders and teeming members of the party for their efforts in this election.

    Edo Guber Poll: Oba of Benin Tasks Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu on Peaceful Election

    PDP appreciated the candidate of APC, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, “whose participation in this election helped to deepen our democracy and enabled the people to make their choice. We invite him, in the spirit of sportsmanship, to congratulate his brother, Governor Godwin Obaseki and join him in the onerous task of leadership in the general interest of all Edo people.”

    The party thanked the media, the civil society groups and all Nigerians across board, for showing more than a passing interest in ensuring that the wish ofThe the people of Edo State for a credible and transparent election prevailed, saying: “We do not take your efforts in this regard for granted.”

    PDP assured of “a continuous partnership with all critical stakeholders in our collective desire to recreate a nation that will continue to be our pride.”

    Idowu Sowunmi

  • Edo Assembly Crisis: Tinubu berates Obaseki, says he’s dictatorial

    Edo Assembly Crisis: Tinubu berates Obaseki, says he’s dictatorial

    National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Friday condemned Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, for resorting to the strong-arm tactics of dictators over crisis rocking the state House of Assembly.

    Tinubu, in a terse statement titled: “In Defence of Constitutional Democracy,” which he personally signed, said: “The recent actions of the Governor of Edo State represent the gravest possible assault on constitutional democracy and the rule of law and escalation of violence and tension in the state he purports to govern.

    “Not satisfied with making a mockery of our constitution by blocking the timely inauguration of two-thirds of the elected members of the Edo State House of Assembly, Governor Obaseki has now resorted to the strong-arm tactics of dictators.

    “First, he sponsors hoodlums to deface, indeed destroy, parts of the House of Assembly Building in Benin, feigning the building is undergoing renovation. Then, he imports sand and gravels to prevent access to the assembly complex. In effect, the man has spent state funds to thwart the very apparatus of the state government he was sworn to uphold. He has squandered public money to defeat the very will of the public. This is tragic beyond words.

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    “As a pretext for his refusal to allow Edo State House of Assembly to function, Governor Obaseki’s actions are perverse. This is a cowardly act and a move to thwart representative democracy in Edo. No renovation has been planned for the state house building. No appropriation was made in the state’s budget. The only reason any renovation could be deemed necessary is the destruction wrought by his own goons.

    “Governor Obaseki’s governance of Edo State recalls the worst excesses of our military past and represents a direct threat to the democratic order.  By his refusal to permit duly elected members of the Edo State House of Assembly to perform their constitutional duties, Governor Obaseki betrayed contempt for the people of his state and, unfortunately, his ignorance of Nigeria’s constitutional order. As a Governor he ought to know better than to obstruct the functioning of his own legislature, but perhaps he is in need of a quick lesson.”

    Tinubu added: “The legislative function is, perhaps, the most foundational obligation of any government. In the UK, the Parliament was famously said to be “that supreme and absolute power, which gives life and motion to the English government.” In most democratic systems, the legislature is the arm of government containing within itself the people’s representatives in government.

    “As such, the legislative arm is critical. It is an important symbol of democratic governance. The voice, will and desires of the people are reposed in their elected representatives sent to the legislature to express and distill their amorphous will into the laws and codes by which the society has agreed to live.

    “In the context of a constitutional democracy such as ours, the legislature’s authority stems, in effect, from the recognition that it is the authentic mouthpiece of the people, entrusted with the responsibility of representing their collective will and the power to interpret and mould it into the laws of the land. It is, in short, not to be toyed with as a plaything of an errant and ill-disciplined governor. Undermine the legislature and you imperil democracy and allow governance to descend into anarchy.

    “Indeed, it is no coincidence that of the three arms of government, the powers of the legislature are enumerated first, in our Constitution. The legislature is the authority imbued with the power to make laws for the peace, order and good governance of the federation and states. Indeed, the Constitution makes clear that a Governor’s role primarily extends to the maintenance and implementation of the laws set down for him by his state’s legislature.”

    Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor, alleged that Obaseki’s conduct in the past year was undoubtedly impeachable.

    “In placing himself above the legislature, deciding who gets in and who is shut out, Governor Obaseki not only places himself above our nation’s constitutional order, he places himself above the people of Edo State whose representatives he so brazenly tramples upon. One can only wonder, given the desperation with which he has acted and his belligerent refusal to honour the free choice of the people of his own state, what mortal offence the majority members he has shut out have committed to warrant such treatment.

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    “These legislators have made no threat to impeach the Governor. Their only desire is to peacefully perform the duties asked of them by the constituents who elected them. What, then, is their offense? By all appearances, the Governor is punishing these legislators for their loyalty to a party that is no longer his own. If every governor behaves as he, obstructing the performance of any legislator who does not pledge to him their undying fealty, the entire edifice of democratic governance in Nigeria would grind to a complete halt.

    “In his campaign for re-election, Governor Obaseki promises to represent and defend the interests of all the people of his state. Yet, so blinded is he by his personal ambition, he sees no irony in the fact that his actions have denied two-thirds of the people of his state their right to representation in the state’s only legislative chamber.

    “Governor Obaseki must think the people of his state to be as foolhardy and ignorant as he, for even as he courts their votes, he continues to make a mockery of the institution of democracy in his own House of Assembly. If Governor Obaseki believes the people are not aware of this inherent irony, he will undoubtedly learn the cost of this grave miscalculation in the fullness of time.

    “The rule of law and preservation of democracy is too important to sacrifice at the altar of any one man’s ambition. Governor Obaseki’s woeful leadership of Edo State will hopefully be brought to an end soon by the very people whose rights he has so carelessly trampled upon. One can only hope that the damage he is doing to the most important of the state’s democratic institutions can just as easily be repaired.”

    Idowu Sowunmi