The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party yesterday challenged the All Progressives Congress (APC), its national leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the party’s Presidential flag bearer Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to purge themselves first of corruption before taking the anti graft war to citizens of the country.
The party said APC and Gen. Buhari’s anti corruption campaign ahead of the nation’s general elections cannot stand the test of time as they protagonists of corruption that dates back to history.
Chairman of PDP in the state, Chief Dan Orbih stated this when he and other chieftains of the party received Hon. Faustines Ovienrioba, the former executive Director, Community Development to Governor Adams Oshiomhole to the PDP during a campaign rally held in Ovia North East council area of the state.
Chief Orbih asked the APC Presidential candidate and Asiwaju Tinubu to stop pointing accusing fingers at some persons over corrupt allegations when they themselves are not clean of the same sins.
He said the both chieftain of the APC must as a matter of necessity apologize to Edo people for remaining silent since the opposition party in the state accused them of alleged involvement in the depletion of the state’s resources, adding that the state government spent huge sums of money to host them during their last visit to commission hospital and road projects executed by the government of Adams Oshiomhole.
The party leadership also raised the alarm over discovery of another N11, 602, 250m alleged spent on drinks to host the duo of Buhari and Tinubu and wondered how such huge sum could be spent during the visits of the APC top shots who are known Moslems and abhor anything alcohol drinks.
According to Chief Orbih “For some weeks now we have been reading the anti corruption campaign of Buhari and his APC. I was expecting that after the publication of the vouchers that the governor used to in signing N142 million to Buhari and Tinubu on their visit to Edo state I was expecting Buhari to come out publicly to apologize to Edo people for that huge sum of money that was taken away from our treasury by the governor of Edo state. I was also expecting Buhari to condemn Adams Oshiomhole for spending that huge sum of money just for him to cut tape.”
He added that “Whwt we must guard against is having proplr who are pointing accusing fingers at others when they are guilty of the same offence. In APC what they do by the day is to take tax payers money, they have continued to steal our money and when they are criticizing others they forget tell the people how much. But let me tell you, Buhari is a Moslem, you know Tinubu he is also a Moslem. After the sume of N142m was spend away by Adams Oshiomhole for Buhari and Tinubu just to cut tape he went ahead to take additional 11, 602, 250m on that day to say he was buying drinks for Buhari and Tinubu. I hereby present to you the voucher that was delivered yesterday to my office signed by” the governor.
Orbih said the party if elected into power alongside its candidates would ensure that a strategic plan was put in place to engage youths in the state, we want to put the youths back to worksaying that “a vote for PDP is a vote for youth employment”
He said, “For the youths of this ward and this local government we know that the problem youths are facing in Edo state is that of unemployment. How can he (Governor) employ youths when all the factories, all the industries, all the areas youths can be employed that they met, they destroyed them. I give the example of Edo Courier. Before Adams took over the government of Edo state, Edo Courier alone was generating over eight million after paying salaries but today they can hardly generate one million. The workforce in Edo Courier has been reduced from 130 to under 50. How do you engage youths if Edo Courier is not working? Edo Line is not working, the Okpelle Cement factory is not working even Edo government is not working. You cannot make progress if we have a government that is insensitive to the feeling and aspirations of the people.”
On his part, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu carpeted the APC led government for its inability to bring infrastructural development to the riverine area in the past six and half years.
Ize-Iyamu said, “Oshiomhole has been in office for six and half years, what has he done for Ovia North East? He wants to deceive you people. He told you people that he would upgrade Ekiadolor College of Education to a university. He went to his home tonw and established a university and the project has almost been completed but did they do anything in that of Ekiadolor? The institution is now worse than what it was before and to even pay the lecturers is a problem. When he came here to campaign he promised to construct the road, did he do it? What pains me more is that revenue that accrues from this council he brought people from Iyahmo to Benin to be collecting. Is that good? In this election you must tell him that you are not fools. You voted for him before, this time you have to show him red card.”
