The incumbent Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has described the victory of the All Progressive Congress, APC, at the gubernatorial election in the state as sign of death of PDP’s godfatherism in the state.
The governor stated this in Benin City while celebrating the success of the governor-elect, Godwin Obaseki with thousands of party faithfuls on the streets of the Benin City yesterday.
Gov. Oshiomole during the victory parade described Obaseki’s victory as the final burial of the ‘PDP god fathers’.
While addressing the crowd at Ring Road, he noted that “God Almighty have vindicated me when I said the lies of the evil people will never triumph. Edo people have spoken today loud and clear that never again will they go back to the dark days. Never gain will the funds made for their well being, for development be diverted into private pockets.
“Never again will they use the state funds to celebrate birthdays and never again will they use your money for soup at Igueben. In the course of this celebration, I passed through the residence of Chief Igbinedion and I saw a canopy but nobody there, the place looks like a deserted house. I told them what they plot at night, during the day God will reveal them to His people.
“They said they will disgrace Oshiomhole in this election because they were plotting evil during the elections but God thwarted all their plans and I told our people these people want to kill us because of election but they will never succeed. And I want to thank security agents who worked so hard to ensure that those evil people were apprehended.
“Just look at the result of the election, Igbinedion lost his ward, Ikimi was defeated in Igueben and that is because these people have lost touch with the people. They from the sweat of the poor and I said no, it cannot happen anymore. Over the last eight years we have tried to orientate our people not just the voters but politicians that the season of election rigging where one or two godfathers write the results is over and we were committed to dismantling the rigging machine.
“We have a rerun in 2012 with all the godfathers on one side and new forces of change on my side, I won in all the 18 local government areas. Our people have spoken loud and clear that they believe in democracy, they just don’t want to be beneficiaries, they want to be the drivers of the process. This was shown by the way they conducted themselves on Election Day.
“It is outstanding and remarkable that tensed as the election was with all the predictions the APC out of 18 local government we won in 15 decisively based on the fact that we won 25 per cent from two other Local Governments apart from the 13 we won decisively. Those who were loudest in making noise has been revealed where they stand in relation with Edo people.
“We have humbled Chief Tom Ikimi even in the local government he claimed to have created. We defeated Chief Raymond Dokpesi in his polling unit, his Ward and his local government. That reassures that the ruthless deployment of media machinery is not enough to distort the will of Edo people to determine their choice.
“In Okada, the political family that has boasted that they will continue to govern this state and even compelled the state to adopt them as the queen of England whose birthday must be celebrated. In Okada, the APC was the preferred party by the people than that family in Okada.
“There is something unique in the way things have turn out. In Esan land, the senatorial zone of the PDP godfather, we won two out of the five local government. We gave him a fight that he manages to escape. He used the factor of his age to play on the emotion of the people. It is a victory for the people of the state. Edo people are now proud they can now determine who rule them and no one godfathers can choose a leader for them. When you look at the propaganda, you will think we have fell for the lion but they failed,” he declared.