The Forum of Edo State Local Government Councils Chief Press Secretaries, a non-governmental organization, has denied rumors that all of Edo State’s council members had switched to the All Progressives Congress, or APC.
Speaking on the organization’s behalf, Benjamin Atu said that the Peoples Democratic Party, or PDP, did not value the defection of those members.
In a statement, Atu encouraged Governor Monday Okpebholo to reinstate elected council chairs, claiming that doing so would help the governor win over more Edo residents.
His words: “Reaction has trailed the defection story of Councillors to APC yesterday, as the elected Local Government Council Chairmen have distanced themselves from what they described as myriads of lame excuses charade and a show of shame where some councillors were all received as illegal acting chairmen to mislead the President into buying into their stage managed crap that Edo Local Government Council Chairmen have defected in support of his 2027 Presidential bid in the desperate desire of the Governor to seek cheap relevance and undue sympathy to induce influence in the final tribunal judgement that has given him sleepless nights.”
“The Council chairmen described the speech of the governor in the stage managed gathering as empty as he failed to find a lasting solution to the infrastructure, security and economic challenges that are obvious across all local Government Councils in the State under his lethargic watch.”
“We wish to inform the general public that those who defected were Councillors without political relevance to deliver their ward. No duly elected local government Council Chairman defected or was present in the gathering where money was shared to Councilors like helpless nursery school play class pupils in need of free lunch. Elected chairmen wish to distance themselves from the charade and called on the Nigerian national media to stop misleading the public with misleading newspaper headlines that doesn’t add up to the reality.”
“If those whom the governor received are the people he depends upon to consolidate his hold on the polity of the state and to deliver Tinubu in 2027, then his hope is a mirage and dead on arrival.”
“Local government councils have been thrown into darkness and under development without leadership and without direction since the governor forced elected chairmen out of office using political thugs and security agents over three months ago.”
“The state’s resources that were wasted to gather and bribe councillors would have been sufficient to mobilise security agents and grassroots Vigilante groups to checkmate the ravaging insecurity across the State particularly in Edo By Dickson Omobola”
“They maintained that the governor has the opportunity of redeeming his image by restoring elected council Chairmen but has decided to be a victim of his own Gospel. The meeting with factional Councillors is meant to deepen the hardship across the Councils.”
“They advised the Governor to respect the rule of law from the Supreme Court judgement to the Edo High Court judgement on the status of local government chairmen in Nigeria. The people of Edo State are not waiting for tribunal judgement but waiting for justice from the fallen behemoth party.”
