By Erasmus I, Benin.
October 2nd, 2021, Governor Godwin Obaseki gathered in the Edo State Government all manners of people across the state with the tag PDP Stakeholders numbering over 200 people and summarily gave them marching orders to go to their respective LGAs and wards to ‘force’ what has now become popularly known as ‘harmonization’ in Edo State. This he did without resorting to know whether the PDP’s Constitution allows for such or not. One of those who went for the ungodly and unconstitutional mission as proposed was one Kabiru Adjoto, a very known violent individual from Akoko-Edo. And this was exactly why Mr. Samuel Dania, an 80 year old man from Ward 8 in Akoko-Edo, who is the Vice Chairman of the ward was brutalized in the most dangerous manner by some irate youth.
Two weeks aft
er the unfortunate event took place, Governor Godwin Obaseki nor Kabiru Adjoto happen not to have sent a delegation to the Party members that where brutalized, no personal press release to denounce the actors nor funds to help in managing their hospital bills,. Meanwhile, when there was an error by a contract work facilitated by Hon. Peter Akpatason at Igarra, for political reasons, the governor sent his deputy, Phillip Shaibu; the Chief of Staff, Iyoha Osaigbovo and thousands of others to Akoko-Edo with camera men to take over the contract.
That’s hypocrisy at its worst. From my investigation, as we speak, the government failed to attend to the road and the gutter it made so much story and noise over in the media. And so many thousands of such roads litter Akoko-Edo. Go to Akoko-Edo today, there is no sign of government presence there.
Kabiru Adjoto happen not to be a peaceful character unknown in Akoko-Edo politics. His presence while in APC then was of violent nature and conduct. Investigations so far carried out revealed he has always been mobilizing thugs with illegal firearms and other weapons from Kogi State to disenfranchise voters, thump print in time past or cart away ballot boxes in time past. We can also recall how he forcedly and violently conducted the removal of the Speaker Edo State House of Assembly, Justin Okonoboh.
This was headlined in Guardian Newspaper of 20th August 2017: How lawmakers sacked speaker for ‘eating alone.’ And the illegality was allowed to stand under the leadership of Godwin Obaseki.
Again, in 2019 during the APC House of Representatives primaries between Kabiru Adjoto and Hon. Peter Akpatason, which I covered in Akoko-Edo as the then correspondent for Digital Newspaper, I followed how Adjoto abducted one supporter of Hon. Akpatason along Igarra road, stripped him naked and videoed him. And it is on record that since joining PDP last year, he has been having public altercations with the Party’s leaders during meetings all to show that he is the leader of the party he joined just a year ago because of his closeness to the governor.
The Real Issues:
There are several video recordings where this character, Kabiru Adjoto, was seen conducting the said harmonization in Akoko-Edo even after the National Executive Committee through its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbodiyan to allow the status quo remain.
Adjoto, called for Akoko-Edo PDP meeting which the old PDP members, stakeholders and excos of all the 10 wards refused to attend knowing fully well that his meeting was centered around the illegal harmonization, and moreover, he had no constitutional powers to call for any PDP meeting at the LGA level except the chairman.
In spite of the boycott by PDP members, he went on to with it declaring all the 10 wards had harmonized and sent the harmonized list to the governor to accent.
Among the ‘harmonized’ ward was ward 8 where Mr. Samuel Dania is from and is the vice chairman of the ward. The chairman of the ward was financially induced to resign by the government through Adjoto and according to the Party’s constitution, the vice chairman takes over in acting capacity pending the election or replacement by the executive of the ward.
This is contained in Chapter 6 (RESIGNATION OR REMOVAL OF NATIONAL OFFICERS), and all ward officers of the Party shall hold office for a term of four years…
The Complicity:
If Kabiru Adjoto had not gone on to carry out the illegal harmonization in Akoko-Edo, the youth wouldn’t have had the enfrontery to brutalize Mr. Samuel Dania who was acting out his right to meet with his excos to discuss ways forward for the ward that was then without a substantive chairman.
Although there are allegations being peddled in some quarters that Adjoto was actually the one that issued the instructions to violence, this cannot be ascertained until the security agents carry out properly conducted investigation, however, his antecedent cannot exonerate him.
On the part of the governor, he must take full responsibility for the fall out of his actions which led consequently to what transpired in ward 8 to the 80 year old man by the ignorant youth.
The governor was said to have ranted like a dictator he is last month:
“…if we go for election today, we will win by 85 percent…”
One will ordinarily think the sycophants around the governor would tell him he is no longer accepted by the people and that he cannot win a position of youth leader if he contest.
His disposition has piqued him against the very people who voted for him last year, and there is no visible infrastructure development to show for their support. “I will not leave PDP. I am the leader of PDP and by the grace of God, I will lead PDP well. Anybody that doesn’t want me to lead or want to accept my leadership will leave PDP for me.” These are exactly some of the words of the atheist used who thinks of himself like one Emperor.
“I said come let us harmonize and the harmonization is to carry everybody along…We can’t escape from harmonization if we want to go for National Convention. ” One would wonder where he derived the idea of that harmonization veiled in capture and dominance from. Does he even read his constitution and what it empowers him and others to do?
Discipline:
In Chapter 10 (DISCIPLINE PROCEDURE) Under Subsection 58 (1) OFFENCES, The irate youth should be expelled from the party by ward 8 since the video evidence has shown beyond doubt they have engaged in ‘disorderly conduct…at party function.’
Secondly, Kabiru Adjoto and Godwin Obaseki should be suspended from the party immediately. (1) subject to the provisions of the Constitution, the Party shall have power to discipline any member who:
(a) Commits any breach of the Party’s Constitution and/or Manifesto;
(c) disobey or neglects to carry out lawful directives of the Party or organ or officer of the party…
