APC Slam Obaseki Over Demolition Of Pius Odubu’s Property

TrackNews Online understands that the condemnation was coming from the All Progressives Congress, APC while lamenting over the demolition of property worth millions belonging to the former state deputy governor, Dr Pius Odubu.

The party’s Publicity Secretary, Mr Chris Azebamwan in a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Benin, said other members of the party whose properties were demolished included Rep. Julius Ihonvbere (APC- Owan) and Mr Mike Itemuagbon, a sports enthusiast.

“We recall that Gov. Godwin Obaseki about this same time last year demolished a private property of an APC chieftain, Mr Tony Kabaka Adun “unchallenged, he has taken a step further, all in a bid to intimidate, suppress, hound, crush and silence his perceived enemies,” Azebamwan noted.

The statement reads further: “No doubt, it is part of the governor’s ‘Make Edo Great Again’ agenda to regularly and willfully demolish property belonging to perceived opponents, and dissenting or critical voices in the state, in the bid to foist a siege mentality on the citizenry.

“It is on record that Obaseki had earlier this year revoked the Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) of some property, but the demolition carried out while the case is in court, is unacceptable because it amounts to a subversion of the rule of law.”

Azebamwan said it could have been wise and thoughtful of the state government to wait for the outcome of the court process, but that it apparently refused to do so because it knew that it was pursuing an illegal agenda.

He, however, urged the governor to perish the idea of trying to use false claims and propaganda to justify the demolition.

He added, “We also reject this constant invasion of citizen’s privacy and demolition of their property, as it is not only wicked but cowardly.

“It is a direct recipe for crisis in our state. We caution against future action in this guise, because it is borne out of hatred and political intolerance in furtherance of the larger plot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its administration to destroy the fabric that binds Edo people, and eventually overheat the polity.

“We dismiss the latter-day reasons given by the government as dastardly, baseless, false and incongruous because they fail to justify the unwarranted invasion, harassment of these innocent citizens who once served the state meritoriously, and demolition of their property. Edo people know that the PDP and its government is unduly hounding, harassing and demolishing property of citizens for daring to be among compatriots at the forefront of the quest to rescue our state from misrule and strangleholds of a cabal that does not mean well for the people,” he reiterated.

Meanwhile, the People Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the Caretaker Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, to resign over his comment against the Supreme Court, following its judgement on the Imo North senatorial dispute.

TrackNews Online reports that PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Wednesday, condemned Buni for insinuating that apex court justices held a meeting with some PDP leaders, with a view to awarding the opposition party victory.