Edo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Barrister Anselm Ojezua has said that Governor Godwin Obaseki has adopted innovation into his administration and that the party is the better for it.
He made this revelation at an interview in Benin, where he also spoke on why Governor Godwin Obaseki hasn’t announced his cabinet over 100 days after assuming office as governor of the state.
On the PDP’s claim that Governor Obaseki is running the state like a sole administrator, the party chieftain said that one of the problems we have had in the past both as a state and as a nation is the fact that our leaders have consistently neglected the principle of adequate planning.
He said, “Under PDP, we were like a rudderless ship. People occupied positions for the sake of it whether they are qualified or prepared for such positions or not. There was no manual, plan, roadmap, milestones or timelines for commissioners to work with. When Oshiomhole came into office, there was a departure from the past. He set up a team called Economic Team”.
He explained that the outcome of the team was a success and that the state’s economy grew from N200m to about N2bn before the amendment of the Personal Income Tax Act.
Explaining further, he noted that Governor Obaseki is trying to improve on the culture of planning he met and he is planning even more.
“He wrote to the party, telling us the positions that are vacant. He has told us the type of persons he requires in his government and we have, in accordance with his requests, developed a detailed guideline, and put together a group of nominees, which we have passed to him. From there, he will pick his cabinet. Let me say that this is the very first time that this process is so detailed, focused and certain”, he said.
Meanwhile, on PDP challenging APC’s victory at the tribunal, he expressed confidence that his party, APC, won and defeated the former legitimately.
In addition, he explained that the election was peaceful, free, fair and credible, saying, “We have situations where some politicians sponsored NGOs to say things that have no basis.
Continuing, he said, “When the petition came, none of these issues were canvassed by them. Rather, what we saw was that they complained about non-accreditation and over-voting. To me, the PDP’s petition lacks merit and I believe justice will prevail”.
