As for Me, I Cannot Support Re-election of Obaseki – Hon. Agbaje
It is no doubt that the Edo State governorship election is the most trending topic on the news outlet and which has had several people come up with their different opinions, some in favor of Obaseki, while others in favor of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.
Though this seems to be the turn of Emmanuel Agbaje who is now the second lawmaker out of the 10, who had been sitting since the controversial inauguration of the assembly in July 2019 to publicly declare their support for Ize-Iyamu. Agbaje said that the current system, as being operated by the Obaseki-led government, did not give room for any form of development in their (lawmakers’) constituencies.
Mr. Emmanuel Agbaje is the lawmaker representing Akoko-Edo II constituency in the Edo House of Assembly has pledged his support for Mr Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the APC candidate in the Sept. 19 governorship election in the state.
It was reported that Agbaje made the declaration at a meeting with members of his constituency on Sunday in Igarra, Akoko-Edo Local Government area of Edo.
Agbaje said his decision is based on Obaseki’s inadequacy to meet the needs of the people and his political obligations to his constituents under the present administration of Gov. Godwin Obaseki.
According to the lawmaker, “The only time I can remember that I was a true house of assembly member was the first one year and five months, and that was when Mr. Adams Oshiomhole was governor. Within that period, Oshiomhole approved our constituency projects. I sited one inward one; I sited the second one inward eight Enwan Mixed Grammar School and another one in Ososo Secondary School; they are all there uncompleted.
According to Agbaje, he said that Oshiomhole during his tenure as the governor of Edo State mobilized the contractors with 50 percent of the value of the contracts, adding, however, that the job had remained where it was till today, which is not good because the current Governor Godwin Obaseki is supposed to be the one to complete the projects.
“For the past four years now, we have been begging for those jobs to be completed, even when we have not gotten new ones. Is that fair?
“Today, I am pained because I have wasted years in the house of assembly without being able to deliver on my campaign promises to my constituents. We were unable to meet the slightest of the projections we promised our people because we have a system that doesn’t care about anybody.
“Here, we have an opportunity and this is very simple. It is either we continue like this but I don’t want to end my eight years like this. The opportunity is that we get a change; a new system that will now bring out better governance that will benefit all of us. So the choice is for our people and I know that we are not foolish.
“They say they did roads in Akoko-Edo and the World Bank did roads for us. We are happy even though the standard of those roads are nothing to write home about because they are almost being washed away. I want to appeal to all of us, as I will not stick my neck into projecting this same system that has tied everybody’s hands,” he said.
Ayooluwa Joshua