Don’t Criminalise Obaseki – Benin Group

A social-cultural group, the Aigbe-Edo Progressive Alliance yesterday vowed to resist an alleged grand plot to criminalise and assassinate the character of outgoing Governor Godwin Obaseki.

The group alleged that the plot was orchestrated by some Edo North cabal and warned that it would not fold its hand and allow them to use jungle justice conspiracy to criminalise Obaseki or any anti-Benin missives.

Recall that the governor-elect in the statement had last Friday raised the alarm regarding the whereabouts of Obaseki, saying he reportedly fled Benin City, the Edo State capital, using a disguised bus and alleged that the outgoing governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki, has fled Nigeria through the land borders.

But the group in a statement signed by the group’s president, Engr. Carl Uyiosa Otokiti, said since the declaration of Sen. Monday Okpebholo as the Edo State Governor-elect, the media space has been awashed with vitriolic anti Benin missives, with all the signages of Edo North political cabal.

While saying that this time, “woe will betide them all”, the group said the fruits of this seeming trait of character assassination would lead to mutual distrust amongst tribal groups in the senatorial districts, further warning that all those involved in this, “will definitely have themselves to blame.”

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The statement reads, “We read the Sunday edition of the Sahara Reporters with shock and trepidation, even as it bore the fangs of anti Benin political activism, in the same fashion that the buildup to the arrest, investigation and prosecution of Chief Lucky Igbinedion followed between 2007 and 2008.

“As predicted, Sahara Reporters has published a depersonalizing claim that Governor Godwin Obaseki has fled Edo State to escape the politically induced investigation, arrest and prosecution by the EFCC. The sad and annoying part is that, Sahara Reporters claimed that the Governor-elect raised the spurious and vindictive alarm.

“This is very un-gubernatorial of a man declared by the electoral body to oversee the interest of an entire State. Let everyone who cares about our tribal or ethnic nationalities unity as people of three geopolitical senatorial districts, that, since 1999, a set of people have been criminalizing Governors of Benin extraction for very obvious mischiefs. We will avenge this.

“No sane Edo indigene will cast doubt about the illuminating impact of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration, unless those intoxicated by the politics of covetousness. Now that the anti Benin doctrines that were founded by Brig. Gen. George Agbazika Innih and gained traction under Edo State Government between 2008 and 2016, it has grown in wits and bounds, we will make haste to counteract them.

“Since the declaration of Sen. Monday Okpebholo as the Edo State Governor-elect, the media space has been awashed with vitriolic anti Benin missives, with all the signages of Edo North political cabal, who wants to see to it that, any Governor of Edo South Senatorial District background must be criminalized, indicted, prosecuted and convicted by the most mischievous tentacles available, as long as bellybutton politicians of Benin extraction are willy-nilly in the conspiratorial scheme. This time, woe betide them all.

“The fruits of this seeming trait of character assassination would lead to mutual distrust amongst tribal groups in our senatorial districts. All those involved in this, will definitely have themselves to blame.”