Edo Govt Planned To Force Civil Servants To Attend PDP Presidential Rally, APC Alleges

… Your Antics Won’t Work, PDP Has Over 500,000 Members – Edo Govt

Joseph Kanjo, Benin

The main opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, in Edo State and the state government are at it again over an alleged plan by the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led adminstration to force Edo civil servants to attend the PDP Presidential Campaign rally scheduled for Saturday, 22 October 2022, in Benin City.

While Col David Imuse (Rtd.), the APC chairmen in a statement made available to newsmen in Benin on Friday, made the allegation and consequently said the governor had perfected plans to declare Friday public holiday in order to make sure the civil servants have time to attend the rally, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media Projects, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, described the claim as “height of foolery and clearly amounts to taking absurdity to an extreme level.”

The APC chairmen statement which was signed by Assistant State Publicity Secretary of the party, Victor Ofure Osehobo, said it is worrisome that the Governor will be “seeking to shore up his dwindling political fortunes by seeking to drag Edo civil servants into politics.”

Col. Imuse in the statement warned the governor against declaring Friday, a working day, a work-free day with the excuse that civil servants need to join the illegal, hollow and fraudulent event, as it negates the Public service rules.

According to the Edo APC chairman, the plot by the Governor Obaseki to hide under the Supreme Court judgment in the case of INEC vs Musa cannot hold water because it did not anyway set aside or nullify rules 030422 and 030423 of the Public Service Rules.

“The extant rules bans civil servants, whether on duty or leave of absence from offering himself/herself or nominating anyone else as a candidate for
any elective public office, indicate publicly his/her support of or opposition to any party, candidate or policy and engage in canvassing in support of political candidates”.

READ ALSO: Edo APC Knocks Obaseki Over Collapse In Education Sector

Col Imuse who advised Edo civil servants, according to the statement, said: “Accordingly, in the overall best interest of neutrality, harmony, integrity and development of Edo Civil Service, all civil servants are strongly advised to reject and resist every attempt to drag them into partisan politics and endeavor to completely insulate themselves.”

But in a swift response, the Special Adviser to Obaseki further said: “At no point did the state government declare a work-free-day for the rally, which is absolutely unnecessary, to say the least, as even little children are aware that Saturday is not a working day in Nigeria.”

He added: “Edo people, however, are aware of the antics of the APC and have rightly placed them in the dustbin of history with the defeat of the party at the 2020 governorship election, a feat that is sure to be repeated in the 2023 general elections.”

Also in a statement, the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Mr. Chris Nehikhare, responded by stating that Edo PDP has over 500,000 verifiable members, hence Edo APC makes up stories to get on the new.

Nehikhare said: “And for your information, we have over 500,000 verifiable members of Edo PDP and for this rally, we are restricting the number to avoid stampede.”