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Edo In Serious Crisis, Obaseki Has Destroy Enviable Legacies, APC Laments

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The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Thursday, alleged that Edo State is in serious crisis due to the continuing destruction of legacy left behind by past administrators.

The party attributed this to bad governance on display by Governor Godwin Obaseki’s poor understanding of democratic governance.

The state chairman of the party, Col David Imuse (retd.), while addressing journalists in Benin, further alleged that “Edo’s glory has been brutalized in the last 6 years by the “confused factional PDP government led by Mr. Godwin Obaseki.”

In six years, Governor Obaseki has signed more MOUs, partnerships and agreements with individuals and organizations, than any state governor in Nigeria since 1960. Obaseki’s Benin Enterprise and Industrial Park, Gelegele seaport, Ossiomo Power Plant, Ologbo Modular Refinery, Benin Technical College, Edo Tech Park, Edo Innovation Hub, Benin Creative Hub, University of Innovation, Edo North Airport project, EMOWAA are a few of the comical results of these MOUs. Yet Mr. Obaseki who has less than two years in office is proposing a scam he calls 30-year development plan for Edo State with a 2050 result date”, Imuse added.

READ ALSO: Edo PDP Crisis: Confusion As Faction Distance Self From Scheduled Presidential Rally

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Besides, he accused Obaseki’s government of boosting the domestic debt of the state since 2016 by N75 billion, exclusive of the State’s foreign debt of over $280 million from available records, making the state the second most indebted state in the country, even as he stated that Governor has just forwarded a bill the State Assembly for additional N25 billion bond to further impoverish generations of Edo citizens yet unborn.

Imuse also told journalists that the  Obaseki government has sold the state owned Nigerian Observer Newspaper to his cronies under a dubious Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, adding that the government was concealing the fact about the position of the Newspaper.

After failing to set up a Board of Directors for the Newspaper in a record six years, Governor Obaseki closed it down in June 2022, promising to reopen it under one month after restructuring it. But in the last four months, Governor Obaseki has not only autioned it’s press, he has deployed all its staff to various Ministries, turned the Newspaper into an online medium and renamed it ‘ECHO’.

“He also demolished sections of the Newspaper office complex, occupied since 1968, imported a moribund and non-functional printing press with billions of Naira and employed a private individual who has employed a new set of staffs, as Consultant.The truth is Mr. Obaseki has sold the Nigerian Observer to his cronies under a dubious PPP arrangement that will die a natural death soon”, the APC chairman said.

But reacting to the APC’s claim, Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Mr. Chris Nehikhare, said Edo was not the second most indebted state.

On the issue of the most indebted state, it shows how lazy APC is. If you Google, you will know which state is most indebted or the party should contacted Debt Management Office (DMO) to get their facts right”. 

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

He explained that borrowing money was not a bad thing as long as it is to improve the state infrastructure.

On the Observer Newspaper,  he said the establishment is still 100 percent owned by the state government, adding that government was reorganising the Npaper and giving out to new management in order to make it competitive with other private media outfits in the country.

The Commissioner, while describing the APC as ‘unserious party’, urged it to do more research on how to be an opposition party.

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Labour Party Reserves 2027 Presidential Ticket For Peter Obi

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…Oti Gets automatic ticket for Abia Guber

The Labour Party’s highest decision making body, the National Convention, has announced it has reserved its 2027 ticket for the party’s leader, Mr. Peter Obi.

In the same breath, the party also announced a right of first refusal for the Abia State Governor, Alex Oti, should he decide to seek reelection on the party’s platform.

This decision was contained in a Communique issued after the party’s National Convention, held in Nnewi, Anambra State, on Wednesday.

It was signed by the re-elected National Chairman of the party, Comrade Julius Abure, and National Secretary, Umar Faruk Ibrahim.

READ ALSO: Abure Re-elected Labour Party National Chairman; NLC Kicks

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The communique read in part: “The Convention in session based on the antecedents of the Presidential candidate before, during and after the 2023 General Election recommend that the 2027 Presidential ticket of the party be solely reserved for His Excellency, Mr. Peter Gregory Obi, the National leader of the party.

“Furthermore, the Convention in session reviewed ongoing development and performance of its Governor in Abia state, His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti and pass a vote of confidence on him and recommend the 2027 Abia state Gubernatorial ticket of the party be reserved for His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti.”

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Edo Guber: 17 Parties Beat INEC Deadline For Candidates’ Nomination

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Seventeen out of 18 political parties who conducted primaries for the forthcoming Edo State Governorship Election have beaten the deadline for the nomination of their candidates on the special portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

INEC National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, disclosed this in a statement issued Tuesday in Abuja.

He said, “Following the conclusion of party primaries, 27 political parties have uploaded their candidates’ nomination forms for the Edo State Governorship Election by the deadline of 6 p.m. on March 24, 2024, when the dedicated portal automatically shut down.”

According to him, the personal particulars of the governorship candidates and their running mates will be published on Saturday, March 30, 2024, a week from the last date for the submission of nominations as provided in Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act 2022.

READ ALSO: Edo 2024: Igbinedion Breaks Silence On Obaseki’s Handling Of PDP, Party’s Choice Of Running Mate

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The Commission shall publish the personal particulars by displaying copies of Form EC9 along with all academic credentials and other documents submitted by each candidate at the state headquarters and the 18 local government offices across Edo State.

“We appeal to Nigerians to scrutinise the documents. Any aspirant who participated in his/her party primaries with reasonable grounds to believe that the information provided by the candidate is false can challenge the nomination in a Federal High Court as provided in Section 29(5) of the Electoral Act 2022.

“The Edo State Governorship Election is scheduled to hold on Saturday, September 21, 2024,” he stated.

 

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JUST IN: PDP NWC Meets 36 State Chairmen, Stakeholders In Abuja

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The National Working Committee (NWC) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is currently meeting with the 36 State party Chairmen.

The meeting is to discuss the state of the party as well as preparations to tackle the challenges ahead.

Acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum is chairing the meeting.

READ ALSO: Man Slumps, Dies During Fight In Kwara

Recall that on the 6th of December 2023, NWC ordered all party members with pending intra-party litigation’s to immediately withdraw their cases.

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National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, after the meeting, explained that the directive was sequel to a thorough review of the state of the party.

Ologunagba said after the review, the NWC “Directed that all pending Intra-Party litigations across the country should be withdrawn forthwith.

READ ALSO: NIN: How To Correct Your Name, Date Of Birth, Others Using NIMC Mobile App

“This decision of the NWC is pursuant to the provision of Section 58 (1)(l) of the Constitution of the PDP as amended in 2017 and in line with the spirit of unity and reconciliation in the party.

“The NWC urges all party leaders, critical stakeholders and members across the country to remain united and continue to promote the values for which the PDP is known as a truly democratic party.

“Also, the NWC considered and approved the report of the Establishment Committee for the appointment of a substantive Director General of the People’s Democratic Institute, PDI”.

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