Obaseki, Oshiomhole Bicker over Alleged Plan to Impeach Edo Gov

*Gov assures better investment in STEM educationAdibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The Edo State Governor and his predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole are in a war of words over the alleged Impeachment of the former
The Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, has said the recent statement by the former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole on the fate of Governor Godwin Obaseki in the Edo State House of Assembly polls exposes Oshiomhole’s insidious plan to oust Obaseki through impeachment.

In a statement, Osagie expressed confidence that Edo people, as they did in 2020, would again rise in defense of the governor at the polls on Saturday, March 11, and vote massively for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), electing a House controlled by the PDP.

The governor’s aide said, “The recent statement by the former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole on the fate of Governor Godwin Obaseki in the Edo State House of Assembly polls exposes his insidious plan to oust the current governor through impeachment.
“We are, however, confident that, like it happened in 2020 when Edo people stood with the governor despite the bullying and intimidation by Oshiomhole and his paymasters, Edo people will again rise in defense of the governor at the polls on Saturday, March 11; vote massively for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and elect a House controlled by the PDP.

“Obaseki has never placed his confidence in any man or godfather. He has placed his confidence in God and the people.”
He further noted, “It is also curious that it is Oshiomhole who has come forward with the agenda of the APC and not any of the candidates. One wonders if Oshiomhole will be a member of the Edo State House of Assembly after the polls. This, obviously, points to who and where the instructions will be issued if the party’s candidates are mistakenly elected into the House.

“Edo people can see the handwriting on the wall and we are certain that they will troop out en masse to vote for the candidates of the PDP in the election to sustain the developmental strides of the Governor Obaseki-led government.”
However, in his reaction, Oshiomhole, through his Media Aide, Victor Oshioke, said Obaseki was scared of the looming consequences of his reign of terror.
He said, “Godwin Obaseki is a corrosive politician whose attitudes are patently leprous in nature. He contaminates and destroys any party, place, or person that he associates with.

“For almost seven years, he has governed Edo State like Herod. Totally insensitive to the aspirations, frustrations, and cries of the people who elected him.
“But on February 25, 2023, Edo people unambiguously rejected him and his PDP faction in the presidential and national assembly polls. For the first time since the return to democracy in 1999, Edo State PDP failed to win any seat in the national assembly, a direct consequence of Godwin Obaseki’s cantankerous, vicious and reckless use of state power to intimidate, oppress, terrorise and pauperise our people.  

“On March 11, Edo people will once again go to the polls to put the final nail on the coffin of impunity, hatred, insecurity, maladministration, destruction of private properties, economic retrogression, infrastructural decay and disrespect for traditional institutions which are the unfortunate hallmarks of Godwin Obaseki’s two tenures in office.

“No man is God and Oshiomhole is not God. He has never pretended to have godly powers, so he cannot install or decree who becomes a member of the House of Assembly.  That is for the electorates to do. But as a leader, Oshiomhole is calling on all Edo people to come out and vote for all APC candidates so that true democracy can once again be restored in Edo State,” he added.
Meanwhile, Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said his government will sustain the investment in the state’s education sector, ensuring the right environment and infrastructure to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education so as to drive industrialization and sustainable socioeconomic development in the state.

Obaseki gave the assurance in commemoration of the 2023 World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development, marked by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and its partner agencies with the theme, “Engineering innovation for a more resilient world.”
The governor said his administration had invested hugely in the education sector, focusing on STEM education to groom and equip young people in the state with the knowledge and skills required to become leaders in the 21st-century economy.

Obaseki noted that this year’s celebration provides the opportunity to celebrate engineers around the world, especially female engineers who have distinguished themselves in the engineering profession, providing solutions to global problems.
He said, “As we commemorate this year’s World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development, we celebrate the remarkable impact of engineering on our world and the role it plays in building a sustainable future. We also salute engineers all over the globe who are contributing to the advancement of society through their innovative work.”

Obaseki added, “As a government, we recognise that the development of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is critical to our economic growth and competitiveness as a state, and are committed to sustaining investment in this regard, guaranteeing the enabling environment and infrastructure in our drive for industrial and economic development in Edo State.

“Through ongoing reforms in our education sector which prioritises technical education, we are nurturing a new crop of innovators and problem solvers and equipping our young people with the knowledge and skills they need to be leaders in the 21st-century economy.
“In Edo, we are not just producing more engineers, but are creating a workforce that is equipped to thrive in a rapidly changing world.”

According to the Director-General of UNESCO, Ms. Audrey Azoulay, “Engineers, men and women, are constantly innovating to meet the challenges of our world. To build more inclusive growth, develop renewable energies, face climate change, and guarantee a fairer and more sustainable world, we need more than ever this scientific creativity at the service of all. “That is what this World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development means, recognising the magnitude of the contribution engineers make to our world and to the goals of the 2030 Agenda.”