The Edo PDP accuses Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration for allegedly intimidating the opposition, including threatening legal action against a chieftain for public criticism, urging the governor to prioritise governance
Edo PDP accuses Governor Monday Okpebholo of intimidating the opposition, telling him to instead focus squarely on governance.
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The party, in a statement signed by the Chairman of the Edo PDP Caretaker Committee, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, on Monday, expressed “utter dismay” at the state government’s actions.
The statement specifically referenced a publication by the Edo State Government, signed by Attorney-General Samson Osagie, which threatened legal action against Mr. Ogbeide Ifaluyi-Isibor, a PDP chieftain.
This threat came after Ifaluyi-Isibor publicly critiqued the perceived poor state of governance and leadership under the Senator Monday Okpebholo-led administration via his personal Facebook page.
The PDP views the Attorney-General’s statement as “only another desperate attempt to stifle dissenting voices, suppress opposition, and intimidate concerned citizens who dare to speak truth to power.”
They reminded Osagie and Governor Okpebholo that as public officeholders, they lack “the liberty to threaten anyone simply because they are criticizing the government or holding it accountable.
The party firmly asserted that “there is nothing to suggest that anything Ogbeide Ifaluyi-Isibor said is false. In fact, everything he said in his commentary is a factual and accurate assessment of how poorly the Monday Okpebholo-led administration is performing.”
The PDP aligned itself with Ifaluyi-Isibor’s views, stating that his commentary reflects “the position of the PDP in the State.”
They further lamented that “the State Government has been clearly dysfunctional and the Governor is hardly ever around to superintend over the affairs of the state,” attributing this to “retrogression being witnessed across all sectors of the State, from education, to security, economy, healthcare, among others.”
“We condemn in totality the desperate attempt by the Monday Okpebholo-led government to silent dissenting voices and stifle opposition in the State, including members and supporters of our great party, deploying all sorts of illegalities and tactics, including threats and intimidation, among others,” the statement read.
The PDP unequivocally declared to the Edo State Government and the Attorney-General that “Nigeria and Edo State is a democracy. You cannot govern by intimidation or suppressing criticism. It will not work, not now, not ever.”
The party even ironically pointed out that Attorney-General Samson Osagie did not sue anyone when he was previously suspended and accused of “grave financial and administrative infractions,” suggesting he should direct his frustrations elsewhere.
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Concluding their statement, the PDP admonished the Governor Okpebholo-led administration to “stand up to its responsibility and deliver Governance to the Edo people for the short time it still has,” rather than “wasting its energy and tax payers’ money on silencing opposition.”
