Oshiomhole Asks EDSIEC to Apologise for Lapses, Swears in 14 Chairmen

For the lapses recorded during last weekend’s local government elections in Edo State, the state Governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, Monday asked the state Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) to tender an unreserved apology to the people of the state.

Besides, he warned the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, to desist from undermining and contravening the laws in the state, saying government has the capacity and the will to curtail his excesses.

This came as the state chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) dismissed the demand by the opposition parties for the cancellation of the polls conducted over allegations of irregularity.
The reaction of the party came as Oshiomhole swore in the 14  ACN council chairmen who were declared winners by EDSIEC.

However, the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Cromwell Idahosa, yesterday constituted a three-member panel of local government election petition tribunal.

Speaking during the swearing-in of the 14 newly elected local government chairmen in the state, the governor maintained that  those who manage elections must be sensitive to the feelings of the people, stressing that: “ I do believe that they would deal with this.”

He said: “I have told the EDSIEC  chairman and his group that they must tender apology whether by themselves or the contractor or both for getting election materials late into Edo State. Even though I can see that they meant well, I have told them it is not about saying I am sorry, but saying so to the good people of Edo State.

“In the last elections, there were issues that I was deeply troubled myself.  The fact that election materials did not arrive on time from Lagos, as a responsible government, we did our best to ensure that those materials were properly secured.  We did our best talking to authorities in Lagos to provide security to ensure that those materials were delivered safely.”

He, however, noted that it was to the credit of the government that those materials were printed outside Nigeria and the materials were not delivered secretly to EDSIEC.

“All the stories that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were peddling that results have been written is absolute rubbish.  The fact that the materials arrived late from Lagos under the supervision and escort of a federal government police dismisses all the rubbish they were talking.

“The Hon. Minister of Works, ordinarily a gentleman, but is unable to explain why he can’t win election because he only constructs road on the eve of elections. He used police to prevent the election from being held at Uromi.

“At Auchi, they brought thugs, after they had distributed materials for some hours. They brought thugs to disrupt the exercise. And the police were supervising the thuggery. These were things that were happening, but you can’t defeat the truth,” he added.

The further alleged that the PDP plotted to disrupt the election because they know they couldn’t win, saying “as hard as they tried, they could not stop what God has willed.”
Continuing, Oshiomhole alleged that there was evidence that he (Igbinedion) had undermined the prosperity of the state for a very long time, adding that “those who live in glass houses do not throw stones.”

Oshiomhole said: “I want to send a warning to Chief Igbinedion that he should take it easy, he has acquired a lot of government land that the people have not engaged him on. He walks as if he is above the law, he was a chief tax collector in this state, pocketing 25 to 30 per cent of every kobo that accrued while his son was the governor. I have not looked back because my mandate is to look forward.

“I want to put him on notice that if he continues with elderly rascality, I will bring him to justice. He must never ever underestimate the fact that I have the will and I have the capacity to deploy that will. If he crosses the law, he will be cut to size. Elders must teach the younger ones to behave responsibly.”

According to him, “You heard how he is using ITV in a very reckless manner in a clear breach of the NBC code. He reduced himself as a high chief, reduced himself to a thug, leaving where he was registered to vote and going all the way to Okada on a day movement was restricted across the state, he got to Okada and illegally used policemen to be walking on the street going to the police station where sensitive election materials were being kept in other to vandalise them.”

While Urging the local government chairmen to impact the dividends of democracy to the people, Oshiomhole said, “you asked for the people’s votes for only one reason, to continue the tradition of the ACN of managing public resources so creatively as to deliver maximum benefits to the people of your respective local government areas.”

The governor, who urged  the chairmen to executive  projects that would add value to the lives of the people, also advised them to, “respect people, but don’t appropriate  or subordinate the resources of your local government to please individuals no matter who he is or the role he claims to have played in your election.”

Speaking on behalf of the newly-elected chairmen, Mrs. Lucy Omagbon, who is the Chairman Ovia North East Local Government Area assured the governor that they would work to ensure the development of their local council areas.

Meanwhile, a former governorship aspirant   of the PDP  in the state, Mr Kenneth Imansuangbon, has described last Saturday’s local government polls as a day light robbery and a rape of democracy.
Imansuangbon in a statement obtained by THISDAY, accused Oshiomhole  of  not practicing one-man, one-vote as he preached, saying that he had to flee from his hometown when some people he described as thugs from the ruling ACN  took over the polling booths and shooting guns to scare voters.

Narrating his experience, the PDP chieftain said voting materials did not get to the polling booths across the state until 5p.m.  and that  in some councils, voting materials were not made available throughout the day of the election.

“The state electoral body EDSIEC confirmed the fears of some people that they are agents of  Oshiomhole  and ACN they  are totally biased and partisan. They showed utter incompetence and deliberately starved polling booths of voting materials so as to deny genuine voters their rights to choose their true representatives. They made ballot papers available only to ACN members   and that gave them a field day to rig  the elections.”

Imansuangbon  allegedly accused Oshiomorle of conducting the worst election in recent time, wondering if a responsible  government would   sponsor  violence to disrupt voting in the state.
“What happened in Edo last Saturday cannot be described as election but rape of democracy, there was no election in the state  and what Oshiohmorle   and his co- travelers announced as results cannot stand the test of law,” he said.

However, members of the tribunal as constituted by Justice Idahosa are, Justice Efe Ikpomwosa, Justice Ohimai Oviagele, and Justice Stephen Omonua.
In a statement signed by Chief Registrar of the state High Court, H. Enemaku, said the constitution of members of the tribunal was in line with Edo State Local Government Electoral Law, 2012 as amended.