BENIN CITY – Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has reacted to the postponement of this year’s General elections by six weeks, saying the May 29 hand-over date of the PDP-led Federal Government to the APC cannot be postponed as no one can postpone Christmas.
Speaking while receiving some defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party in Benin City, on Sunday, Oshiomhole said: “You heard what happened”. They said they have postponed the elections. Few days back, they called us for a meeting at the Council of States and we said they should go ahead and do the election. In any event, we are not the only country with security challenges. Even election is held in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“So whether they postpone the election or not, we won’t fight. They can’t postpone Christmas. I want to appeal to all of you, nobody should be angry because I know you were ready for Saturday’s election. Only a debtor thinks tomorrow is far. Everybody has seen they don’t want elections. They sponsored discussions on Television, Jega said INEC is not the issue so they came up with security”.
Oshiomhole continued, “If they like, let them keep coming up with issues, elections will hold. So I ask you, just take it easy. These six weeks will cost us more resources and time because we thought we will do the election, get through with it and get on with our lives but they decided to postpone the election, to prolong it but let me ask you, a child that is due to arrive after nine months, how long can you prevent it from birthing?
“APC is already in power by the grace of God. They can postpone the election but they cannot postpone May 29 handover date. Two wrongs don’t make a right. Don’t fight, make peace, we will use the remaining six weeks to mobilize more, pull out more people from the PDP so that Edo State will be 100% for APC “, he said.
The Governor expressed joy and praised the courage of the defectors for dumping the Peoples Democratic Party to pitch tent with the party that is set to bring the much desired change and development to the country and assured them of level playing ground in the All Progressive Congress.
In his words, “I am really grateful to all of you that have joined. You can fool some of the people some of the time but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time. I want to promise you that together, we will continue to build a new digital political soft structure on top of which we can build all the other things.
Over 300 people decamped from the PDP to the APC led by Chief Sunny Erhengbo, Dr. Friday Omokaro, former PDP House of Representative Aspirant for Ikpoba Okha/Egor Federal Constituency and Mr. Fred Ikhuebor, Head of Security, Goodluck to Goodluck Campaign Organization, Edo State Chapter.
Gov. Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole
