BENIN CITY – Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, yesterday, lamented his non-representation in the state House of Assembly as a result of the non-inauguration of 14 elected lawmakers and has charged politicians on quality and efficient representation, urging them to ensure effective service delivery to their constituents.
Speaking in Benin City, the governor urged politicians to represent and speak for the people who voted them into power, rather than any godfather, just as he warned against the politics of stomach infrastructure.
He urged residents to leverage on the opportunities created by the state government through its programmes and reforms to better their lives and contribute effectively to the development of the state.
He said: “Our politics has changed, as we don’t play politics of stomach infrastructure. We are creating opportunities for our people, but a majority of them are not keying into these opportunities to better their lives and contribute to the development of Edo state.”
Reinstating the need for quality representation by elected officials, the governor expressed dismay at the lack of representation of Oredo Local Government Area at the Edo State House of Assembly.
According to him, “Change is difficult but it must come from Oredo. It’s a shame that a governor has no member representing him from Oredo in the state House of Assembly and is doing the work of the representatives to ensure services get to the people. Politics should not be practiced that way going forward.
“When you bring out people and they vote, they should be responsible to the people and not to any godfather or leader.
“That is what has happened in Oredo, where we have two representatives but none of them are there today because one godfather said they should not go and resume and serve the people,” Obaseki added.