By Adibe Emenyonu
The Chairman of the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi, yesterday cautioned politicians in the state, including members of his party, not to distract the state Governor, Godwin Obaseki, as he settles down for his second term in office.
Aziegbemi, also denied rumours making the rounds that Obaseki had demanded that the elected executives of the party from the ward to the state level be dissolved and a mini congress be organised, so he could infuse some of his supporters who came with him from the All Progressives Congress (APC) into the leadership of the party.
The state PDP leader, who stated this at an interactive session with journalists at the party state secretariat in Benin-city, the state capital, said Obaseki was ready to reposition the state civil service for better performance.
According to Azegbiemi, “I urge Edo people to please continue to support the PDP-led administration in the state. We need the support of all for the governor to continue the good works. “This party under my leadership will give the governor all the support he needs because we need to say this publicly for our people to know where we stand.
“On the political front, we want absolute quiet; we don’t want the governor to be distracted, we want him to focus on governing the state, on giving the Edo people the dividends of democracy they deserve, and so we are guaranteeing him absolute calmness on the political front so that he can have all the time in the world to do all the things he wants to do for the people because we want PDP to deliver on the promises we made during the campaigns, so distracting him politically will not help.”
On the rumours that Obaseki appointed some aides without consulting the party, the party chairman said: “It is not in our brief as a party to appoint personal aides to the governor
“Those appointments are his prerogative. Whether he briefs us or not, they are his personal aides, and that is why the party is in consonance with the appointment. So he has done the right thing in appointing the right people into various areas. You would agree with me that Osarodion Ogie is the most qualified for that job, and we should trust that the governor will bring the best decisions for the people.”
Aziegbemi said there are hundreds of casual workers in the office of the governor, including drivers without specific duties, and that the House of Assembly of 24 members has 600 staff members, adding: “If we had continued the way we are going, these things would have been swept under the carpet. None of these people will lose their job, there are many vacancies in the civil service, who will be trained and be employed.”
He added that the state government would soon come out with a strategy to check increasing insecurity in the state.
