The Nation Newspaper

Tag: EDO STATE CHAPTER

  • Osagie faults Obaseki’s separation of governance from politics

    Osagie faults Obaseki’s separation of governance from politics

    Former Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon Samson Osagie, has warned of impending crisis in the Edo State chapter of the All Progressive Congress over Governor Obaseki stance on separating politics from governance.

    Hon Osagie said any gulf created by Obaseki’s refusal to interfere in the running of the APC could create political problem for the governor.

    Osagie warned that the people the governor would leave the affairs of the party to would use the party as an instrument for fighting political opponents and personal aggrandizement.

    Speaking to reporters in Benin City, the former Minority Whip described suspension of some leaders of the party across the state as unfortunate.

    Hon Osagie said those that carried out the suspension capitalized on the policy of Governor Obaseki to concentrate on governance rather than partisan politics.

    He said the rate of suspension witnessed in Edo APC in the last six months did not occur when Adams Oshiomhole was Governor.

    “There can be no difference between the government of a state and the party that brought the government to power. If there exist a gulf, strictly speaking, it can create a political problem for the governor and I pray that he does not allow that to happen. 

    “A governor cannot ride on the platform of a party to governance and then totally neglect or run away in the running of the affairs of the party. There are dire political consequences for that action because those he will leave it to will create political problem for him. They will use the party to take political decision that can create instability for his government. Governance that is party based cannot be separated midway. It will be my advice for him not to allow people to create confusion for his government because that can affect the performance of his administration.

    “It is quite unfortunate that it is happening at this stage. Thank God Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is the Leader of the State Caucus of the party. He will be able to intervene and halt the gale of suspension across board.

    “It is because these persons are capitalizing on the policy of the governor to concentrate on governance rather than partisan politics. They are exploiting what looks like a gap. If you go down the records, the people behind this are almost political liabilities who cannot produce results during election periods,” he said.

  • Pensioners to Oshiomhole: Pay us as parting gift

    Pensioners to Oshiomhole: Pay us as parting gift

    Again Pensioners in Edo State on Monday staged a peaceful protest in Benin, the Edo State Capital appealing to the Edo State Governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole pay pension arrears spanning between 10 to 42 months also include unpaid gratuities to retired workers from the state civil service.

    This is coming barely when Nigeria Union of Local Government Workers equally protested the non-payment of their salaries running into months. However, Governor Oshiomhole last week had denied not owing local government workers salaries.

    The protesters mostly dressed in black attire stormed the premises of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, noted that their woes become compounded due to the non –harmonization in the payment system adding that some pensioners still earn N2,000 per/month.

    They lamented that the dehumanizing living condition of pensioners have saw some of their members been evicted from their homes by their landlords while many now takes refuge in churches and abandoned buildings in the state.

    Comrade Pully Noruwa, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Edo State Chapter who spoke on behalf of the pensioners however appealed to the Governor to use their pension as parting gift to them as his administration winds down.

    “We want you to help us to beg Oshiomhole to pay us our money. We have borrowed a lot of money that we can’t pay back, he has promised to pay us and we are looking forward to the day the miracle will happened. Some old pensioners are earning only N2,000 per/month and we have been appealing that the pension should be harmonised.

    “Our landlord can no longer exercise patient anymore, some of us have been evicted from their homes while others now sleep in church premises. We appeal to the governor to pay all the arrears and to also open the pension board.

    They also noted that  one thousand persons who retired since the dissolution of the pensions board are yet to have their pension documents processes and consequently enrolled into their monthly pension emoluments adding that “ some of these pensioners are very sick, weak and have no money for medical treatments neither can they meet other financial obligation in their respective homes,” they concluded.

  • Edo Accord Party crisis deepens

    Edo Accord Party crisis deepens

    Crisis rocking the Edo State chapter of the Accord Party has widen following a law suit filed at the Federal High Court in Benin by a factional chairman of the party in the state, Dr. Samson Isibor.

    Defendants in the suit are Lawal Muhammad Nalado, Mr. Nureni Adisa, Don Pedro Obaseki and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Dr. Isibor, in the suit, is seeking an interim injunction restraining Lawal and Adisa form parading themselves as National Executive Officers of the Accord Party as well as conveying meetings and selling of nomination forms to any aspirant.

    Isibor is asking the court to restrain Pedro Obaseki from parading himself as the governorship candidate of the Accord Party for the September 10 governorship election pending determination of the suit.

    He is also seeking an order of interim injunction restraining INEC from recognizing Pedro Obaseki as the party’s governorship candidate pending determination of the suit.

    A date is yet to be fixed for hearing of the suit.

    The factional state chairman of party, Joseph Omorogbe, said Dr. Isibor was expelled from the party two years ago.

    According to him, “Samson Isibor is not a member of Accord, he was expelled two years ago. He is an imposter right now.

    “Don Pedro is our aspirant and a member of our party. Ask Isibor to show proof that he is a member of our party.”

  • Consensus at work in Edo

    Members of the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday elected delegates that will choose the party’s candidate in next year’s general election.

    Many delegates emerged through consensus in several local government areas.

    A total of 576 delegates were elected in the 192 wards in the state.

    When the Nation visited some wards in Oredo, party members were seen affirming the consensus delegates.

    State chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, hailed party members for conducting a peaceful congress.

    He said: “The exercise was very successful. In all the places I visited, I met them conducting the congress in a peaceful atmosphere devoid of any slightest sign of violence.

    “I commend leaders and members of the party across the state for the manner they went about electing the three ad hoc delegates.”