Hon Sergius Ogun, the lawmaker representing Esan North-East/Esan South- East Federal Constituency in Edo State, has commended the governor, Godwin Obaseki, calling him a gentleman who means well for the state.
Ogun who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made this statement on Monday, June 8, 2020, as a guest on the Arise Tv programme, The Morning Show, which was observed by NewsWireNGR.
The lawmaker said although Obaseki has always left a good impression on him personally, his party is poised to remove him from office on September 19, 2020 when the governorship election in Edo state is scheduled to hold.
“For the governor, I think he has done fairly well with the situation he met on ground.
“We are aware that when he came onboard, Edo State was heavily indebted and from what we have read here and there, he was brought in to manage the debt situation, and to not splash the money around like his predecessor.
“The governor is a gentleman and the fact that he meets with us every quarter in Abuja to discuss development in Edo state is novel, I don’t think his predecessor did that.
“We discuss about projects, he wants to know what we are doing in the state so that we don’t duplicate efforts. That is wonderful.
“I’ve also had a situation where I’m building primary and secondary schools and his people intervened to discuss what the governor wanted to do with regards to the particular building.
“Again, this is an APC government, I’m a PDP member in Abuja and they’re in the state. For me that is wonderful and anytime I engage him I always leave with a wonderful impression about a man that means well and has foresight for the state.” Ogun said.
Commentaries around the recent announcement of the supplementary regulations which the governor said effectively bans large crowd gathering in the state, as a measure to curb the spread of the Coronavirus, have bordered on its effect on the proposed direct primary election for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
Many believe that the order was Obaseki’s response to the APC chairman who insists that the party will only choose its candidate through that process.
In response to how the order affects the PDP, Ogun said his party does not care what Obaseki does, adding that the PDP never planned to go the direct primary route anyway.
“We were not planning on having a direct primary and everything in politics can be fair depending on who is interpreting it.
“Whatever the governor says, we just don’t care in the PDP. We cannot wait to take back Osadebe Avenue.” he said.
The PDP and the APC are the two major contenders for the governorship seat in Edo state. While the APC has remained fractured in the build up to the elections, the PDP looks set to captitalise on the crisis rocking the ruling party.
Obaseki and the APC National Chairman are locked in a battle that hit the news in 2019 and shows no signs of going away.
Despite the issues between the duo, the APC is the favorite going into the polls.
The last time the PDP ruled the state was in 2008 during the short-lived tenure of Professor Oserheimen Osunbor. But Ogun believes that Edo State is traditionally a PDP state.
“In the last election in 2016, the APC all but admitted that they stole that mandate from the PDP. They have said that in so many ways, they even had to come poach the last PDP governorship candidate and want to give him a ticket by all means.
“In 2015, (referring to the presidential elections), PDP won Edo State, in 2019 as well. So Edo State is a PDP state.
“If there’s a free, fair and credible election in Edo state tomorrow, I’m sure the next governor will be a PDP governor.
“Don’t leave it to the opposition alone, if you really want to build this democracy, all hands must be on deck.
“Usually when you have these stand-alone elections, you know what happens.
“Recently we had the Kogi and Bayelsa elections, the level of intimidation, the security agencies working with INEC, and how everything was skewed against the opposition. If we all begin to speak-up now, that will not happen.” he said.
Asked if rumours of Obaseki talking with the PDP are true, the lawmaker was coy, saying he couldn’t answer the question on national television and directing the presenters to speak to the PDP National Chairman Uche Secondus on the matter.
“I’m not aware that Obaseki is talking with the PDP. If he’s really talking with the PDP, do you expect me to tell you that on national television?
“I know you have the number of the PDP national Chairman, Uche Secondus, I’m sure you can put a call to him.
“All we are asking for is for a free, fair and credible election. if that happens, whoever PDP puts forward will win the election.
“Let the APC keep whatever it has.
“For me, he’s in the APC and we are ready to take him out on September 19th.” Ogun said.
