Edo APC Caucus In National Assembly Declares Support For Oshiomhole

The Edo State All Progressives Congress Caucus in the National Assembly have declared support for the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole.

The caucus which was led by the Deputy Majority Leader of the House, Peters Akpatason, and supported by Johnson Aguma and Julius Ihonvbere spoke with newsmen at the National Assembly complex on Thursday.

Akpatason while reading the jointly signed statement, described the suspension of the APC chairman as a poor judgement on the part of the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki.

Others supporting the APC chairman include Sen Francis Alimikhena, Patrick Aisoweiren, and Dennis Idahosa.

The lawmakers accused the governor of political witchhunt and intimidation of opponents.

“It is now well known that the crisis has its origin with the nocturnal, illegal and unconstitutional inauguration of a handful of elected members of the House of Assembly, as orchestrated by the Governor Godwin Obaseki administration. Of the 24 members of the House, only 7 were invited with the pseudo-proclamation of Obaseki. The majority of the elected members were not invited to the event, while some were abducted to the event. It was the first such inauguration in the rich history of the state were an inauguration was not witnessed, by family, party leaders and members, as well as well-wishers.”

“Obaseki and his management, for some rather strange reason generated, swallowed and believed that the majority of the elected members were not loyal to the Governor and were out to impeach him. Preceding this illegal act by the Governor, unprecedented violence had been unleashed on the majority of 15 members at Golden Tulip Hotel in Benin City by thugs led by the Govenor’s Chief Security Officers.”

Adding that “within a short time, all those perceived not to be loyal to the governor and his deputy were sacked from their jobs. These included commissioners, special advisers, senior special assistants, special assistants, and supervisory councilors.”

“Four local government chairmen were framed on dubious grounds and also removed from office. The governor and his deputy abridged the rights of APC members to freely associate and organize themselves and threatened the leaders of the Edo Peoples Movement (EPM), a socio-cultural pressure group within the party. Their businesses were marked for demolition and their homes monitored by thugs.”

The APC caucus also attacked the state Deputy Governor, Philip Shuiabu and charged the state governor to issue a fresh proclamation to reinaugurate the House of Assembly.

“The shameful acts of indiscipline and political rascality displayed by the Deputy Governor of the State Mr. Philip Shaibu during the first Convocation ceremony of Edo University, lyamho when he mobilized thugs and motorbike riders to what ought to have been a serene ceremony, was just one more effort to step up the culture of intimidation, arrogance of power and unciviled disposition by the custodians of State power in the State and a failed effort to humiliate the National Chairman of the APC.”