Oshiomhole: Obaseki Leading Government without Legitimacy

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City
Former National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Adams Oshiomhole yesterday said Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki was leading a government with huge crises of confidence and legitimacy.

Oshiomhole, also former governor of Edo State, berated Obaseki for calling for his arrest over alleged instigation of protest in the state last week over the scarcity of new Naira notes.

He made the remarks at a session with journalists in Benin-City yesterday, faulting the governor for calling for his arrest.
At the session, Oshiomhole declared that his successor did not have the power to order the arrest of a citizen and that his position was part of the reasons people had reservations about state police, which could easily be abused by some state governors.

He said: “The law is very clear on it. If a crime has been committed, it is up to the security agencies to investigate. If they find someone who they think may have had the need to invite, the person is invited for questioning.
“The police have not and I will be surprised if they have now degenerated to taking orders from a politician who is faced with the crisis of confidence. The people have been voting against him.

“There are huge issues of the legitimacy of his government. He thinks he can order police to arrest whoever he considers to be his political opponent.

“But let me say that Obaseki is a victim of his own double standard. He says one thing in the morning; he does another the following day.

“I think Obaseki after embarrassing the Central Bank Governor, Emefiele, when he accused him sometime last year of printing hundreds of billions of Naira to share for states by way of Federation Account and that Emefiele’s policies are going to destroy the Naira even as he admitted that the money was being shared to state governments.

“Obaseki wanting to make money out of this hardship suddenly became pro-CBN Governor, defending anti-people policies where your people are groaning and he has made the wrong assumption that Edo people do not know their right from their left.”

On the naira crisis, Oshiomhole said: “In the cause of campaigning, it is painful when I hear people complain to me about the challenges they are having.

“I have never hesitated in denouncing it and I will continue to denounce it because it is not the Policy of APC and I can’t be afraid to say the truth.

“I think it is not in the mouth of Obaseki, with all due respect to his very high office, to throw allegations without attempting to show any proof,” Oshiomhole explained.