EDO ELDERS QUERY OSHIOMHOLE ON SACKING OF AIDES
GOVERNOR Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has been urged to continue to see the entire state as his constituency and to expect that rival candidates stand a chance to win in any political contest.
The charge came yesterday from some eminent indigenes of the state on the platform of Edo State Elders' Forum in a reaction to the governor's recent sack of political appointees from Edo-Central Senatorial District.
The elders, led by Chief Louis Idubor (president-general), the secretary-general, Col. Andrew Owobu (rtd), and Isah Ugbodagah (provost- general), said they were disturbed by the increasing ill-feelings the action had generated among the people of the state, who have been living in harmony.
A few days after the National Assembly elections, which the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the state won except in Edo-Central where Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held sway, Oshiomhole sacked all political appointees of Esan origin in his government, an action linked to the ACN failure in the zone.
'We do not want to hold brief for his sacked officials but for his expressed anger against that geographical axis. Ordinarily, winning two senatorial districts is enough for a governor to celebrate because democracy is all about winning some and losing some. Why is Oshiomhole attacking the good people of Esan in Edo-Central because his party has lost election there?
'His ACN also lost Ovia South-West Local Council in Edo-South to the PDP but he has not extended the same vehemence of sack to the Binis of that area', Idubor said.
He alleged that Oshiomhole's position is tantamount to ethnic politics. 'The Bini, Esan, Afema have lived together since origin and we believe we are one and the sanctity of that co-existence must be preserved and respected.
'We, therefore, call on the royal fathers, particularly the Oba of Benin and all the governor's political associates to call Governor Oshiomhole to order to avoid a breakdown of unity, peace and trust for one another in the state', he said.