I won’t recognise factional Speaker, says Obaseki, attacks Ganduje
Meanwhile, following Ize-Iyamu’s visit to the President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa on Friday, Obaseki has said he is not worried by the endorsement of the APC candidate by the Presiden
Obaseki, who spoke with one of our correspondents on Friday, said the President, as the leader of the APC, was free to support his party’s candidate.
He said, “I cannot speak for the President; he’s a due-process man. He strikes me as somebody who wants the process to follow its due course. The President is a member of the APC. Why would he not receive his party’s candidate?”
The governor said he would not recognise the 17 lawmakers, describing the AGF’s directive to the IGP as illegal and a recipe for anarchy. “How can I recognise them? There is a law we have to follow, otherwise we will have to be like a banana republic,” he added.
Obaseki, however, described as hilarious claims by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State that he (Obaseki) performed woefully.
He added, “If he (Ganduje) says all the physical structures, all the roads we have built, are underperformance, I see why he can never be governor. If he says reforming the educational system in Edo State, which is acknowledged worldwide, is underperformance, then he cannot be governor. Edo is not Lagos. We will see on September 19.”
The governor in a broadcast earlier on Friday said the events of Thursday had all the signs of an attempted coup d’état, adding that any person or group of persons who set out to test the will of the state would meet with the full wrath of the law.
He added, “These events portend grave danger to the safety and security of our polity. It had all the hallmarks of an attempted coup d’état. The people of Edo State rose as one to prevent the desecration of our democracy. It is however worrisome that certain persons are willing to plunge the society into avoidable anarchy and conflict just to satisfy their illegitimate objectives.
“Be assured, dear people of Edo State, that this government will take all steps necessary to defend the rule of law and democratic ideals.”
Meanwhile, Okiye has said he remains the speaker of the House, adding that till date, only 10 members of the Assembly had been sworn in.
“We adjourned till Monday (August 10, 2020) and on Monday, we will sit. So, those people that are no longer members of the House going somewhere to conduct a get-together and come out to say they have a resolution, that they are now members of the parliament, I see that as an affront on the democratic principles.”
Ayooluwa Joshua