The governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole says his greatest landmark in Edo State is the “weeding away of godfatherism”, which he said had led to the imposition of candidates on the people of the state before his tenure.

Governor Oshiomhole, on Saturday, recounted achievements made by his administration while answering questions on Edo politics and other related political issues, including the grounding of a helicopter that he was to travel to Ekiti State with for the political campaign of Governor Kayode Fayemi.

On the grounding of the helicopter the governor said he was not allowed to attend the rally by security personnel who told him that there was an instruction from above to stop him from travelling to Ekiti State.

“I tried to make inquiries here and there but I was told I can’t even fly to Akure and go by road to Ekit. For me, it was very unfortunate because we have overzealous persons. It may not be coming from what everybody regards as above because the man in charge of this Nigeria project today, who is in the driver’s seat, is the President.

“I do not think that President Jonathan will order anybody to prevent people from going to campaign. But you have people who think they love the ruling party more than the chief of the party. For me, it was quite embarrassing and I do not see what value it adds. My present in Ekiti will not make the Governor win the election. If anything it raises doubt about the preparedness to allow a level playing field,” he said.

Governor Oshiomhole stressed that he had the right to go to any part of Nigeria, but lamented that if he, being a governor, could be treated in such manner, “it reduces the country to something close to a banana republic”.

Ekiti Election Process

On the governorship election in Ekiti State, Governor Oshiomhole commended the electoral body for the coordinated conduct of the election and stressed the need for the body to ensure that the coordination seen on a Channels Television’s report on the election process in Ado Ekiti would be replicated in the rural areas. “Those remote villages are where the devil reside,” he said

“INEC has started well and they should sustain it. The presence of the police is not always counter-productive. If the security officials could conduct themselves in a way that will reassure the people of their protection, the confidence of the people to come out and vote will rise.”

Recently, the All Progressives Congress, the political party that Governor Oshiomhole belongs to, held their National Convention in Abuja where the national chairman of the part was elected.

The Edo State governor said that the convention was successful, stressing that the party had laid a good foundation with such a brakthough.

He also pointed out that the party had started well by ensuring that all members registered at the place where they are expected to vote.

“The APC has been able to spread to other states because of the effort that the party leaders have put in it. Mr Bola Tinubu and the other leaders have made good commitment to the party and I think they deserve to be commended and revered by the party members for their efforts,” the Governor, who was a onetime labour leader, said, emphasising that the APC was a strong opposition platform needed in Nigeria’s political sector.

Most Important Landmark

Reeling out his achievements in the State, he said that weeding away of godfatherism in the state was he most important landmark achievement.

“It is not the issue of infrastructure, whether it is in education, road and others. It is in the reordering of Edo State political environment, giving people confidence and breathing air into the concept of a multi-party democracy where no one political party can continue to lord it over the other and in the dymistify of people who celebrate electoral fraud and those that have persuaded Edo people to resign their fate that they are only going to be distant spectators in a democratic process where they are supposed to be the key drivers,” he said.

On infrastructural development in the state, the governor said that the his administration had been able to reinvent the tax regime in the state, stressing that “a progressive government must find a way to collect taxes from the rich and ensure that everything needed by citizens of the state are provided”.

Governor Oshiomhole said that a substantial amount of the money spent on projects in the state come from the Internally Generated Revenue of the state.

He said that the government had collect more than 19 billion Naira from IGR in a year, but that it had reduced due to a reduction of tax paid by people with lower income.

“If the son of a rich man must go to a good school the son of a poor man should equally go to a good school so that there will not be inferiority complex. We must collect tax from rich people to make them safer by providing security, good roads for them when they buy big cars,” he stressed.

He further pointed out that there state’s administration had improved and commended a top APC leader, Tom Ikimi, for his commitment to ensuring that the “no to godfatherism” stood in the state.

“Today, the most difficult terrine in Edo has been connected with standard roads that compared very favourably and often times even better than the federal roads.”

He listed some of the areas that had been made accessible with good roads to include, Imiegba, Orenigbe and Okpekpe among others

“We have made the bold statement with rural development must be prioritised and that is because I am convinced that rural poverty is not the act of God. Where people cannot be connected, when they cannot be reached, you can’t deliver development. Some six years ago, when it raining people rush to school to peak their children. For the first time you have six lane roads in different part of Benin City. Every road carries walkways and street lights,” he said..

On the conflict of interests in the state House of Assembly, governor Oshiomhole said that the suspended lawmkers were given money to lure some APC lawmakers to the PDP to give them the number needed to intimidate the leadership of the state.

He, however, stressed that the suspension of the lawmakers was in line with constitutional provisions and asked the lawmakers to maintain law and other.