The Governor of Edo state, Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki, has recorded a political historic milestone, as an incumbent PDP Governor in Nigeria, who FAILED to constitute a cabinet, one year after his re-election.
The technocrat PDP Governor, as he is fondly called by his supporters, has also created a political record of using a psuedo minority state House of Assembly, to approve his expenditure of Edo tax payers money, whilst, the elected majority members of the state legislature are denied of their constitutional inauguration and entitlements for over two years and still counting.
Years ago, if a spiritual man/woman had prophesy to me, that, the above narrated ignominious political scenario, will occur in a highly educated state like Edo, with her eminent indigenes abounding in all works of life, I, would’ve tagged such prophesy FAKE, and smacked the prophesier for daring such prophesying.
The seemingly, ostensibly quietness of the state intelligentsias, opinion crafters, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society groups, the political class and community leaders in the face of the continued desecration of the ethics and ethos of our hard-earned democracy in Edo state, is essentially what has fueled the inglorious action and inaction of the ‘sole administrator’ of Edo state.
The Governor’s mistaken belief of possessing exclusive ownership of the state, as a result of his re-election into the office of the Governor of the state, is in contradistinction to what democracy and democratic governance, practice and conventions represents.
It is an undeniable fact, that, democracy in Edo state has been decimated and confined into a ‘wheelchair’, placed in the office of Governor Godwin Obaseki located in Osadabe Avenue, with the assistance of his political party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
One year after the PDP Governor’s second term re-election, No Commissioners, No state House of Assembly, No elected Local Government officials, No board members and the list continues…
For the past 12 months, development has been suspended indefinitely in Edo state, insecurity runs riot, destructive erosion from rainfall has continued to destroy properties and displace families across the state.
Pathetically, vast majority of Edo people are locked in the cockpit of obfuscation, whereof they found no government in existence, at any level, to pour their ordeal over for possible intervention.
In the case of the office of a Governor, democratic election as seen in other states in Nigeria, breath fresh air of growth, development, good governance and welfare of the citizens and residents of such state. But, reverse is the case in the PDP led Edo state.
~ Godswill Inegbe.