Obaseki Must Be Flushed Out Of Edo To Restore Sanity – Afegbua

By Temidayo Akinsuyi On Jul 13, 2020.

Prince Kassim Afegbua is a member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and was one of the spokesmen of the Presidential Campaign Council in the 2019 general election. In this interview with TEMIDAYO AKINSUYI, he frowns at the processes that led to the emergence of Governor Godwin Obaseki as the party’s candidate for the September 19 Edo governorship election and has openly vowed to work against him . Excerpts:

You have been blowing hot in recent times over the emergence of Godwin Obaseki as the PDP’s candidate for the September election. What exactly is the problem?

There is the need for us to derive courage to interrogate democratic processes so that we are not fed with lawlessness as the normative order. As a member of the PDP, I should enjoy certain privileges which a new entrant shouldn’t enjoy. Everything must not be about money at all times. There were three vibrant aspirants who have toiled round the state wooing the delegates to vote for them. All of a sudden, at the eve of the primaries, it was postponed to accommodate the Governor who was never a part of the process. Before you say Jack Robinson, the entire permutation changed because you feel the Governor has money to spend, tax payers money for that matter. It is very disturbing and annoying that our hopes were dashed. If the Governor felt he was popular, he would have joined another party to test his popularity. Democracy is so beautiful that it does not encourage this type of bestiality.

Have they reached out to you to soft pedal after your outburst?

Well, quite a number of people have called to say I should sheath the sword since I am a member of the PDP. But they failed to address the fundamental issues. As a party member, should decisions be taken without factoring the overall interest of members? Money politics should not be the cardinal creed in political participation. There has to be constructive engagement and collective bargaining so that everyone will feel a sense of belonging. You don’t sit in Abuja and ram everything down the throat of members because you are national officers. I am a voter in Edo, and I have a lot of supporters who will see reason with my position. I have started campaigning in my community of Okpella so that we will use our votes to punish Governor Obaseki for abandoning our community. Our roads are in terrible shape, yet he wouldn’t fix them, but he wants our people’s votes. We are no fools in Okpella. We will speak with one voice against Governor Obaseki, to teach him a lesson that every community needs to be carried along.

Does it not sound curious that you are a member of the PDP and yet campaigning against your party?

There is nothing curious there. In other climes, people support candidate of other parties. In the US, Collin Powel and a couple of others endorsed Obama’s candidature even though they were not members of the Democratic Party. It is all about choices and leadership. It is about what you see after you have done your analysis with respect to who can do a better job. I have tasted Obaseki’s leadership for four years, I have formed my dissonance. He has not met my aspiration as an indigene of Edo. It is time for me to taste another person before I form my opinion. The last four years of Governor Obaseki has been one of monumental deceit, blackmail and pretenses. He has destroyed the Edo collective interest, pulled down people from their positions, and yet seeking for their votes. Former Deputy Governor, Dr. Pius Odubu, has his legitimate severance pay with-held by the Obaseki administration. He refused to pay him. When he was nominated for NDDC position as Chairman, Governor Obaseki protested and that board was dissolved. Another Benin son, Chief Victor Ekhator who was also nominated as a Commissioner representing Edo on the NDDC board, was also dropped, all due to Governor Obaseki’s anti-Edo sentiments. Is that the candidate that should be voted for by us?

But he won in 2016 election, why do you think he won’t repeat the feat?

(Laughs) I hope you know I am an insider. I know what happened in 2016. It is a story for another day. We cannot re-elect a man who is pulling down everybody. Where are the Edos in the scheme of things in Nigeria. He used taxpayers money to fight Oshiomhole until the court upheld his suspension. He has been fighting another Edo philanthropist of note, a wealth creator and employer of labour, Captain Hosa Okunbo, trying to destroy his businesses through spurious petitions. Who does that in a country where everyone tries to protect his own? How can you now turn around to seek for votes from the same people you are pulling down? Obaseki has not delivered on governance because he has spent better part of his administration battling for political survival. The projects he has done are prohibitive in terms of cost. How can you for example renovate the Ogbe stadium with six billion naira? What are the costs of projects? In the spirit of open government, can he open up the books for people to see the costs attached to projects?

Are you fighting for yourself or your community because I read a statement saying you were disowned, and another one saying nobody can disown you in Okpella where you come from. What is the situation?

When I read the statement credited to some funny names purportedly speaking for Okpella, I laughed my heart out. How can unknown names disown a Prince from Okpella? Will that not amount to a sacrilege? Well, my family and leaders of thought promptly responded and threatened to place a curse on anyone that dares us. It is only a bastard that will see the poor condition of Okpella roads and infrastructure, and still talk about supporting Obaseki. A true and free born Okpella person can never support a government that has neglected us so badly, despite our huge contribution to the internal revenue of the state through our cement and limestone. We cannot be made the crying baby in an era we should be enjoying our God-given natural endowments. How can a government run a full course of four years, visited Okpella four times, made promises four times, raised our hope four times, and dashed our hope four times. Where do you begin from in terms of campaign. A governor who could not fix our roads when he knows he would need our votes, is it when he no longer needs our votes, that he will remember us? It is so painful when people deceive you. Go to Okpella and see how bad our roads have become. Oshiomhole fixed one part of the roads, it was only necessary for Obaseki to complete them, alas, he scammed us. We cannot be fooled again. Okpella will vote against Obaseki. That is sure.

What is your assessment of the Obaseki administration in terms of his performance?

Governor Obaseki spent a better part of his first four years fighting imaginary wars against those who made him Governor. Quite unfortunate in all my years, I have not seen that level of betrayal, back stabbing and ingratitude. Those of us from good homes and humble background appreciate people who are our benefactors. How can you work with Oshiomhole for eight years as economic adviser only for you to make a 360 degree turn to become such an ingrate? Those urging him on will laugh at him at the end of the day when he loses the election. If he had played his politics right, he would have had a smooth sail by now. How can people invest time, energy, resources and time into your project, and on getting there, he turned his back against them. Who does that in politics? He will be shocked at the outcome of the election. By the time he looks back, he won’t see those political dancers who are feeding fat on him.

This irrelevant misguided one should stop peddling his nonsense up and down. No one is interested.

It is now clear beyond anything else that this guy really needs help. The more he shouts thinking he will “soon be called to be settled” the more he is ignored. What a pity!

Interesting

Trumpcard05:
This irrelevant misguided

So relevant stop misguiding people

Trumpcard05:
This irrelevant misguided one should stop peddling his nonsense up and down. No one is interested.

Obaseki is gone

Ambode is better than Obaseki

Afegbua, is that you?

I don't think so, man you need attention fast, something is wrong somewhere...

Bitter soul

My greatest joy is the fact that Obaseki was able to clinch the gubernatorial ticket of PDP after the "show of shame" by Oshiomole and by extension, Tinubu!

Apc would definitely learn a hard lesson come September!

As for Afegbua, he should go and hug transformer!!

Yimu

So because He speaks the truth He is now misguided and in need of attention.No wonder Nigeria is not making progress and the Common Man is worseof for it.

Osho wounded lion....
Loading humiliation

Please go and vote for the cultist, na only him go bring sanity.

This man is not smart at all.
For this election that Obaseki has very bright chances....Mtcheeew

You better enter market if you're insane. One man one vote

Manofvalor1:
So because He speaks the truth He is now misguided and in need of attention.No wonder Nigeria is not making progress and the Common Man is worseof for it.

Only a cultist will support his or her fellow cultist.
Edo is not Lagos, we vote wisely here. We are ready to kill godfatherism in Edo State.