As tribunal affirms Obaseki’s victory

April 14, 2017 marked 154 days of Governor Godwin Obaseki in office having been sworn-in as the elected governor of the state on November 12, 2016 after being declared winner of the September 28, 2016 governorship election in the state.

The day also marked 197 days since the election was conducted in the state by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). But out of the 197 days 160 days was spent on challenging the outcome of the election by the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu as well as the Young Democratic Party and its candidate Nurudeen Inwanfero.

The Young Democratic Party petition was however dismissed by the tribunal as a result of professional defect and was also dismissed by the Appeal Court in Benin-City in December 2016.

On January 7, 2017 the tribunal commenced proper hearing of the People’s Democratic Party and its candidate petition.

Following the hearing of the petition analysts have seen it as a hindrance to the economic and political development policies and programmes of the government.

The governor had within the 154 days in office initiated economic blueprint to fast-track the transformation of the state to the number one economic hub of the South-South as well as the second largest economy in the country after Lagos.

Within the 100 days in office on February 19, 2017 the governor enumerated some of the programmes so far to navigate the state from a core civil service state to that of industrial state to include the initiation of reforms and policies geared towards the actualisation of the 200,000 jobs promised the people of the state during his electioneering campaign.

Obaseki also identified 200 Agriprenuers to utilise 5,000 hectares of land for the cultivation of maize and other arable crops.

The vision was concretised last Saturday with the formal launch of the Agriprenuers programme at Sobe community in Owan West Local Government Area of the state.

The governor during the formal launch of the programme said the maize cultivation will directly empower 200 agripreneurs to become millionaires

He said it was part of his administration’s Accelerated Agriculture initiative to create jobs in the state. He added that the first phase would target job creation for 1, 000 agripreneurs through the cultivation of 5,000 hectares of maize farms across the LGAs in the state.

According to the governor in one of the function in the state said” we are planning to produce 25,000 metric tons of maize this cropping season and a ton of the maize will sell for N150, 000. We have begun to screen young entrepreneur getting them ready to key into the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) ANCHOR borrower’s scheme. We are hopeful that in two cropping seasons we should be able to produce 100 young millionaires in Edo State”.

The government also embarked on the registration of unemployed persons in the Edo State Employment Scheme. As at today, over 70,000 persons have been said to register for the scheme.

The governor further disclosed that his administration has signed its first five mega watts power purchase agreement out of the proposed 50 mega watts to boost power generation in the state.

“We are going to start with our first five mega watt and gradually increase to 50 mega watts within the next one and half years. The availability of power in the state would create an enabling environment for more businesses to thrive”, he said.

Other programmes include the digitisations of revenue collection in the state with the use of point of sale system in three local government areas of Benin metropolis as a pilot scheme.

He also banned private revenue collectors that used to be economic hindrance to the state as well as signing into law a bill criminalising land grabbing.

To complement the governor’s economic policies, his wife Betsy Obaseki also launched Women in Agriculture with the empowered of over 500 widows with poultry birds.

Efforts are also on by the governor, in partnership with the Benin monarch, to establish export processing zone at Gelegele community in Ovia North-East, among others.

With the tribunal judgment upholding the election of the governor, analysts are of the view that the coast is now clear for Obaseki to concentrate on the economic and political developments of the state.

The Ahmed Badamasi-led 3-man tribunal had in his judgment Friday upheld the declaration of Godwin Obaseki of APC as the winner of the governorship election by INEC.

The governor and his party, APC, were declared winner of the election with I319, 483 votes while PDP scored 253, 173 votes.

Reacting to the judgment, the state leadership of the PDP said it rejected the election petition tribunal judgment.

The state chairman of the party, Dan Orbih, who made known the party’s position, also disclosed that the party would appeal the judgment.

According to him, “definitely we are going to appeal against the judgment. We reject the judgment of the tribunal. It is not acceptable to us. 

“We have told our lawyers to appeal the judgment. The issues we raised in the petition were not addressed by the tribunal.”

He however, appealed to the people of the state to remain calm but be resolute in their bid to reclaim the mandate he claimed was given to Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

He also commended all Edo people for their support even as he described the governorship candidate of the party, Osagie Ize-Iyamu as a very good candidate who will definitely become the governor of Edo State in the long run.

Also reacting, Ize-Iyamu described the judgment as porous.

Speaking with elders, leaders and supporters of the party at his campaign office in Benin-City, he said the judgment was unacceptable and one that cannot stand at the appeal court.

“From the snippets I heard of the tribunal judgment it cannot stand in the higher courts. This case must be pursued up to the Supreme Court,” he said.

He however, expressed gratitude to all who in the last six months thronged the tribunal venue without any form of compensation assuring them that the journey ahead will be shorter.

“I want to thank God that we have all been able to reach this part of the journey. What gladdens my heart is that God will vindicate us in the long run”.

“Don’t be dismayed. We are still hoping for your support. I urge you all to be calm and refrain from being provoked into violence. Even if they push you, laugh,” he said.

Governor Obaseki in his reaction described the judgment as victory for Edo people who gave him the electoral mandate to run the state on September 28, 2016.