Sunday 18092016

More documents

Recommendations

Info

PAGE 12 — SUNDAY Vanguard, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016 SHOWDOWN IN EDO With Ize-Iyamu, Edo is in safe hands – Ikimi Continued from page 10 •Chief Ikimi omhole/Ogbemudia. The question is whether the political landscape in Edo is determined by the agreements and disagreements between the personalities who constitute the leadership of the parties. Over the past two and a half decades or so, I have related with the political leaders of our state within the framework of different circumstances and interests. These interests are sometimes influenced by leaders’ relationships in the wider national context. I have, therefore, had the privilege to work closely with most of our leaders under a variety of circumstances and at different times. For instance, I worked very closely with Dr Samuel Ogbemudia and Chief Gabriel Igbinedion in my days as National Chairman of the National Republican Convention. At that time, Chief Tony Anenih was in the Social Democratic Party, which eventually fielded Chief Odigie Oyegun as Edo governorship candidate. I am aware that Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia is quietly retired now and not a member of the APC. He leads a group called EMM – Edo Mass Movement. Oshiomhole has not got the benefit of longterm relationships with any of these leaders. When I was a member of AC, ACN and APC, I was a leader in Edo. A primary issue then was to form a party that would stop the PDP becoming the sole party in Nigeria. The circumstances that connived to make Oyegun National Chairman of APC are very interesting. There were other contributing factors from outside the state. All that was then. Today, Edo political leadership’s priority is overwhelmingly in favour of establishing harmony between the peoples of the three senatorial districts of our state. After this hotly contested governorship election, should your candidate emerge victorious what promises, can we hold you and the PDP to? The state will be in very safe political hands in which politicians will play their role, the executive and legislature will play their roles side by side. Ize Iyamu has campaigned round the state and every where he went he presented a document containing his agenda titled, The SIMPLE agenda. S -Security and Social Welfare I - Infrastructural Development M- Manpower Development and Training P - Public Private Partnership L - Leadership By Example E - Employment and Empowerment I trust that as an astute, God-fearing politician, our candidate will keep faith with his pledge. During the Channels TV sponsored governorship debate, he made a pledge that he will restore Edo’s lost glory in sports. What are you and other leaders of your party doing to ensure free, fair, violent free and acceptable elections? Why are there so many allegations and counter allegations of rigging and intentions to fraudulently win at all cost flying on both sides? A free, fair and peaceful election can only be guaranteed by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the security agencies comprising the police, the military, Department of State Security, DSS, and the para-military forces. INEC who had met several times with the security forces conveyed to all stakeholders that all was set to go for the election. The PDP is in the opposition and cannot influence the deployment of these forces. The PDP is set for a free, fair and peaceful election and we plead with President Muhamadu Buhari to maintain his stance of neutrality. Your party appears to be drifting at the national level.It is common knowledge that Sen. Alli Modu Sherrif, one of the major protagonists in the dispute at the national level, is you friend and political ally for nearly three decades now. How do you envisage that this crisis will be resolved early enough to have a united front for the 2019 national elections. The PDP secured national power in 1999 right at the beginning of this political dispensation and held power continuously for 16 years. The loss of the presidential election in 2015 put the party into the opposition for the first time. Managing a party in opposition is much different from managing one in power. The process needed now is to cleanse the party leadership and democratically install one that is strong, dependable and capable to rebuild the party. The country is certainly now in dire need of a well structured, stable opposition party. The PDP has viable structures nationwide but the process that brought in Ali Modu Sherrif as National Chairman was faulty. I was prepared to go along with him as National Chairman if it was for a specified brief period. I am afraid, I do not consider the actions of Ali Modu Sherrif since the first Port Harcourt Convention as the actions of someone who has the deeper interest of the party at heart. How, for instance, could he adopt someone who participated and lost the governorship primary in Edo as candidate. All the critical structures of the party support the Caretaker Committee and I believe the matter will very soon be appropriately resolved . War of words over political family to produce gov •Chief Gabriel Igbinedion Continued from page 9 Oshiomhole told the residents that “this is the first time we will be having this kind of road”. He went on: “You have a road, you have a walkway, and you have drain underneath. It has never happened in this city before. We are going to put street lights. We have been listening to our opponents who are telling lies everywhere. They are saying that the Comrade and his deputy are fighting. How can we fight? We are not boxers. We are working as brothers and will continue to work as brothers. And you people must help to explain to the ordinary people that the high cost of living is •Issa Aremu not within the control of the state government. The state government has no hand in the price of foodstuff in the market. But the state government must build schools, pay teachers, must provide hospitals, must construct roads, and must provide drainage. If you watch television, you would see the kind of flooding that is taking place everywhere, but Benin is not like what it used to be like that, but because of the drainages we have done. So, you have to explain to the people. By the grace of God, we want to do more roads like this in this City because we need to transform Benin completely. That is the second phase for Godwin, in addition to employment creation so that the youths will have jobs. We also need to provide for the elderly. Godwin is not coming to learn how to govern. For eight years, we worked together. Now that he has graduated, he will do better than me.” Also speaking, Obaseki said, “You have seen that Comrade Governor has really worked. We have constructed roads and built schools. What is left is job creation. I will bring industries. Before I can bring industries, you need to vote for me to become governor first. You have to mobilise and go from street to street, telling everybody to come out with their PVC on the day of election to vote.” The governor and the APC candidate went on the road walk with their wives, Lara Oshiomhole and Betsy Obaseki. Separately, National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) endorsed Obaseki as the next governor of Edo to continue with the development strides of Oshiomhole. General-Secretary of the union, Comrade Issa Aremu, at the Annual National Education Conference of the union in Benin City, said: “I want to say, I want to confirm, I want to reaffirm that Edo is working and Edo has worked. National Union of Textile Garment has affirmed, confirmed and reaffirmed continuity in Edo State and we have endorsed the candidature of Godwin Obaseki.” Also speaking, the President of National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUT- GTWN), Comrade John Adaji, commended Oshiomhole for the enormous progress he has made in infrastructural development. He said, “We are proud that the public critical acknowledgement of the enormous progress recorded in Edo under the watchful eyes of Comrade Adams in the development of education, infrastructure, road construction, reconstruction of hospitals and general improvement in the health infrastructure. In particular, we were deeply concerned about human capital development and the welfare of workers. His administration has not only continued to pay salaries as and when due but equally the first governor to single-handedly have the minimum wage adjusted to twenty-five thousand naira. We are glad that the Comrade has done well to justify the confidence of Edo people.” Obaseki thanked the Textile workers for endorsing him asserting “I want to assure you that by the grace of God, I will not disappoint you. We see Edo as the next haven for the garment industry because we have laid the basis for industrialisation. With gas and electricity available here, we are sure that Edo State will be the headquarters of the garment industry. As part of our micro-medium development fund, I am committing today that we will set aside a hundred million naira, not seventy-five and from Monday, I will want to have a meeting with whoever is in charge in the union so that we can commence the process of disbursement.” C M Y K
SUNDAY VANGUARD, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016, PAGE 13 C M YK
Page 2 and 3: C M Y K PAGE 2—SUNDAY Vanguard, S
Page 4 and 5: PAGE 4—SUNDAY VANGUARD, SEPTEMBER
Page 6 and 7: PAGE 6—SUNDAY Vanguard, SETPEMBER
Page 8 and 9: PAGE 8—SUNDAY VANGUARD, SEPTEMBER
Page 10 and 11: PAGE 10 — SUNDAY Vanguard, SEPTEM
Page 14 and 15: PAGE 14—SUNDAY VANGUARD, SEPTEMBE
Page 16 and 17: PAGE 16—SUNDAY Vanguard, SETPEMBE
Page 20 and 21: PAGE 20—SUNDAY Vanguard, SETPEMBE
Page 24 and 25: PAGE 24—SUNDAY Vanguard, SEPTEMBE
Page 28 and 29: PAGE 28 —SUNDAY VANGUARD, SEPTEMB
Page 30 and 31: PAGE 30— SUNDAY VANGUARD, SEPTEMB
Page 34 and 35: PAGE 34—SUNDAY VANGUARD, Septembe
Page 42 and 43: PAGE 42 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, SEPTEM
Page 44 and 45: PAGE 44, SUNDAY Vanguard, SEPTEMBER
Page 48: SUNDAY Vanguard, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016

Sunday 18092016

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?