Over the last two and a half years since Mr. Godwin Obaseki got the nod of the overwhelming majority of Edo people at home and abroad to secure his second term in office as Governor, his power has reached that of a conqueror who believes that election victories are based on excellent marketing and not track record.
He believed that having defeated notable political forces in the 2020 gubernatorial election, he now has the people in his pocket with the intent to manipulate them at will using propaganda marketing. He cares less about performance, but would rather spend on persuading the public to believe what is never available.
Obaseki has no challenger because the people's representatives are in his pocket. The 9-member Edo State House of Assembly which should act as a check and balance expected of the Legislature-Executive relationship now takes orders from Obaseki in the Government House.
They do whatever Obaseki want without the tenacity to advise, query, or reject policies and actions which are anti-people, even accepting to bury their legislative financial autonomy when they had the opportunity for freedom.
On Obaseki's request, the current Edo State House of Assembly members killed Local Government autonomy, they passed the Anti Open Grazing Law and Procurement Act that none of us know the content. They approve Obaseki's frequent loan requests without debate on the floor of the house or public knowledge. Not even constituency projects are available for their constituents in the annual budget, but they dare not raise their voice.
This is a House of Assembly that can not stand to condemn Obaseki for any wrong. From the indiscriminate sale of community lands to the destruction of people's properties in the guise of urban renewal that has Ring Road looking like a slum.
One will wonder if Edo State has a House of Assembly with AAU in comatose, a School of Nursing privatized to family members, Colleges of Education, and others in Ekiadolor, Iguoriakhi, Igueben, Abudu etcetera closed down and staff sent home without salaries.
It was published some time ago that Obaseki requested the Assembly members to be on their knees when they attempted to question some provisions in the Edo State 2023 budget, and it took the intervention of a consultant from Lagos to get them up on their feet.
Obaseki is failing woefully because we do not have a House of Assembly to speak for the people. His authority is absolute and he is begging the same oppressed Edo people to come out and vote for his selected candidates for the Edo State House of Assembly on Saturday, March 11th to continue his rape of the Edo people.
He is smart. He fielded candidates for the Edo State House of Assembly in both PDP and Labour Party with the principle of not having your eggs in the same basket. This is not the time to shout against 'Torgba' but a time to watch how Edo reacts on the ballot to Obaseki's 'over do'.
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