Last Friday, Youths and supporters of both the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party clashed at the Benin Airport over the motion moved by Senator Matthew Urhoghide seeking the invocation of Section 143 of the Nigeria’s Constitution to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to media reports, it took the intervention of the State Commissioner of Police, Babatunde Kokumoa major fracas to be averted at the airport.
The PDP supporters were said to be at the airport to give a rousing welcome to Senator Urhoghide for moving the motion for the Senate to begin impeachment proceedings against President Muhammadu Buhari.This is in my opinion, was unnecessary as it was done in bad taste. The Senator should have been allowed to quietly go to his house on return from Abuja.
But the APC supporters who had earlier protested through major street of Benin City disowning Senator Urhoghide were attracted to the airport by the provocative activities to PDP and moved to express their disappointment.
This is not the first time the PDP will be stoking the hornet’s nest in Edo. They have a penchant of throwing tantrums at the sitting governor. There is no state in Nigeria where citizens would sit down and start hauling abuses and insults on their governor as the PDP does in Edo State.
Tension was rife as more supporters besieged the airport either for the APC or the PDP. Both sides sang anti-Buhari and anti-PDP songs. The Police Commissioner had to personally stand between the protesters to prevent the turmoil from snow balling into a major catastrophe at the airport. He was not alone. He was there with a retinue of his officers and men, ostensibly acting on a tip-off. The Army and Air force personnel were also on ground to forestall breakdown of law and order.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State had described the ban in night grazing by Fulani herdsmen placed by Governor Godwin Obaseki as “unimplementable and cosmetic.”
It equally said the pronouncement of the ban was “begging the issue and showed clearly that Governor Obaseki was unserious to addressing the serious issue of Fulani herdsmen menace.”
A press statement personally signed by State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, falsely accused Governor Obaseki of “effectively turning Edo State into a cattle colony during the day.”
First, every one knows how pro-active, the Edo State Government has taken the issue of herdsmen attacks on farmers in some parts of the state. He has had cause to ban night grazing in the state and lately banned total grazing for 90 days in Odiguetue and Odighi communities as well as the environs, for which well-meaning Edo people have roundly praised the governor both at home and in Diaspora. But an uncouth, Chief Dan Orbih chose to mobilise his party men and women to make issue out of this in February. He openly challenged Governor Obaseki “ that the main issue was not about night time grazing but about land for cattle colonies.”
In PDP-Controlled States in the South-South of Nigeria how have they handled the issue of herdsmen? In Delta State,a PDP –controlled state, farmers are meant to pay toll to the herdsmen in some communities before they enter their farms. Why has Dan Orbih not offered his consultancy services to his PDP counterpart to address the issue? What about Enugu State, where herdsmen crippled several communities and killed several people? Why has Orbih not helped them with the magic wand to arrest the situation? The herdsmen crisis is a national one and not an Edo State affair. But even at that, the State Government, which includes the State House of Assembly, has consistently played their role to prevent the crisis from degenerating in the state. Orbih needs to show gratitude instead of abusing government every day. His outburst is capable of undermining the peace in the state and someone needs to call him to order.
Earlier last month, Chief Dan Orbih at a press conference, asked Governor Godwin Obaseki to “stop selling state assets,” just as he accused him of nursing the idea of selling the assets belonging to Edo Line. It was an event where a nine-man committee for grassroots mobilization in readiness for the 2019 general elections to be chaired by Prophet Ojo Agge was inaugurated. This implies that Orbih and his cohorts have embarked on this marketing of tissues of lies against the government of Edo State because of 2019 general elections.
But everyone in Edo knows that Dan Orbih is a serial looser at elections. He has never won his booth, ward or local government. He has consistently led the PDP into failed election projects since he assumed the position almost a decade ago.
Chief Orbih alleged sales of state assets including the Ubiaja Rice Mill, a rubber processing plant in Benin and the Oil Palm Mill in Ekpoma at the Ekpoma Farm settlement, which he said were done in secrecy and without following due process.
The PDP Chairman also falsely claimed that “the proposed sales of Edo line had reached an advanced stage and assured that the sales of Edo line would be stopped in the same manner Edo people’s pressure stopped the illegal sale of Edo Broadcasting Service.”
These tissues of lies and hate speeches being bandied around by the PDP is capable of throwing the state into turmoil as many citizens are angry about the continued provocative action of the party in flagrant disregard to the laws of the land.
Chief Orbiheven shot himself in the foot when he also falsely said “all the foreign trips including that of Malaysia embarked upon by the Governor were to learn how to waste government money in unproductive agric ventures,” whereas Edo State is now a destination of both foreign and local investors. The agriculture and manufacturing sectors are today being bolstered by the presence of foreign investors wooed by Governor Obaseki to the state. What about the massive development going on in Gelegele to open up the seaport for Edo State to become a business haven just like Lagos?Are Dan Orbih and his cohorts oblivious of these feats? What about the road construction and reactivation going on across the state? What about the UNICEF/EU Water project?
It is important to appreciate the timely intervention of the Edo State Police Commissioner and other security agencies at the airport. Perhaps it would have snowballed into a major crisis. Since Orbih has chosen to roll out agenda to shatter the peace of the state, the security agencies need to put him and his cohorts in their watch list as Edo people need to be allowed to enjoy the peace and massive development being daily churned out by the “wake and see Governor.”
Edo PDP’s inordinate political ambition in the state should be closely watched so that it does not degenerate into activities that would undermine security of lives and property of well meaning citizens of the state.
_________________________
Mr Dan Owegie is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Edo State.
