Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, on Friday, praised the judgement of the Court of Appeal, which upheld his victory at the September 28, 2016 Governorship Election, alongside former governor Adams Oshiomhole, who branded the petition and the appeal against its dismissal as a futile attempt to smuggle through the judiciary.
The Court of Appeal, on Friday morning, dismissed the election petition filed by both the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, noting that the Tribunal did a painstaking job and should be commended for its judgment.
Commending the appellate court’s verdict, the governor said that the truth would always prevail and he was prepared to appear at the Supreme Court over the case because he won the election and both God and his ancestors had reaffirmed that he won so they (PDP and Ize-Iyamu) could not change the truth.
In addition, the governor appreciated the support of Edo citizens, assuring them that his administration was not distracted by the lingering election petition cases, that he would rededicate himself to good governance, and that he would continue the appointments of political appointees.
Meanwhile, Oshiomhole declared that the people of Edo State never voted for PDP and that the Court of Appeal had reaffirmed the fact that they were clear on the sustenance of Governor Obaseki’s policies, who, he observed, had not been distracted from the business of good governance.
He said: “At a time when most states cannot pay salaries, in Edo, he is paying a minimum wage even higher than what the federal government stipulated. What more can we say? Well, naturally we are excited. I am sure they also did very careful and detailed evaluation of the petitioners’ case and the response of our party as respondents.”
He continued that this was why he concluded that the petition was of the busybody category and that the truth was clear for everyone, who followed and did detailed evaluations, to see.
“Edo people never voted PDP,” he explained, continuing, “They have not forgotten in a hurry the misrule of PDP for thirteen years in this state and sixteen years at the federal level. They could not have voted PDP, so it was clear that they lost it at the ballot box.”
