Benin-city – Edo state Deputy Governor,Rt Hon Philip Shaibu has assured members of All Progressives Congress in Etsako East Local Government Area, Edo state of equity, justice and fairness in handling party affairs including allocation of positions in line with the party constitution and Governor Obaseki’s directive.
Comrade Shaibu stated this while addressing some aggrieved members of the party from Okpilla, Etsako East Local government area who stormed government house in Benin yesterday to protest what they described as unhealthy activities of some leaders in the area which tend to undermine the party constitution and Governor Obaseki’s directive.
The Deputy Governor assured them that their grievances will be looked into, stressing that nobody would be allowed to truncate the vision of the present administration.
He told the protesters that the idea of Governor Obaseki to carry the grassroots along in the scheme of things has not changed. “When we were campaigning,we did promise to begin decision making and development from the bottom,I AM assuring you that we are sticking by that bottom-up approach.” He explained.
The spokesmen for the protesters, Peter Oba and Lukman, while stating their positions, told the Deputy Governor that they are not happy with the way party leaders in the area are going about putting the list of appointees from the area together. They insisted that all the stakeholders of the ten wards of the local government area must be involved in the process of allocating political positions in line with the party’s constitution and vision of the Governor.
They decried the alleged highhandedness of some leaders of the party in the area who have converted their abode in Benin to serve as party Secretariat.
The angry party faithfuls who brandished placards with different inscriptions, have called on the Governor and the state leadership of the party to prevail on the party chairman in the local government and the Afegbuas.
They said that they decided to report the matter to the Governor because they have faith in him considering his directive that political matters such as the case at and should be treated at ward level, and therefore demanded that appointment list regarding Etsako East Local government should emanate from there and not from the house of any leader in Benin.
