The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Godwin Obaseki, and his campaign train yesterday stormed Okada community and country home of the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, in Ovia North East Local Government Area of the state where over one thousand five hundred persons including a cousin to the Esama, Ewemade defected to the ruling APC.
Speaking at the rally, Governor Adams Oshiomhole vowed to retrieve all the large hectares of lands that were illegality acquired by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Igbinedion and hand them over to investors.
Oshiomhole told the mammoth crowd that his administration has granted waivers to investors to encourage them in the industrialisation process in the state.
The governor further declared his resolve to stop any Benin chief who intends to take the position of the Oba of Benin, pointing out that Oba’s position cannot be faked but must be respected as a divine institution.
According to Oshiomhole, “I will stop any Benin chief who wants to take the position of the Oba of Benin. I am aware that I have had cause to revoke some lands illegally acquired by Igbinedion, I will revoke more and give to investors.”
He said: “We granted waivers to investors in order to encourage investors to set up companies in the state, with Obaseki as the next governor you will have nothing to fear, we will build more roads, schools and bring more investors to the state.
“PDP wants to come through the back door back to power because they want to continue to use your money to feed the god fathers and we must stop them,” he said.
The APC governorship candidate, Obaseki said Oshiomhole had laid the foundation for growth and development in the state.
He said: “My job is to raise the house upstairs because the foundation will carry sky scrappers. We will continue to build on infrastructure, build more roads in the local governments, build more schools and recruit more teachers.’
Obaseki stated that when elected as governor of the state, “We will put more money into Usen Polytechnic to improve the standard of teaching in the school so they can be one of the best in Nigeria.”
He said: “The polytechnic will groom students into becoming land inspectors, surveys that can be employed in the state Ministry of Works. We will give small loans to market women. Our major priority is to create empowerment for women and youths.”
The defectors said they decided to dump the PDP due to the giant strides and developmental achievement by the Oshiomhol-led government in the state.
