A chieftain of the Labour Party in Edo State, Stephen Osemwegie, has said that the 2023 presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi, will reclaim his mandate.
Obi had challenged the declaration of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress as the winner of the February 25th presidential election at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal where he lost, and has even gone further to appeal the tribunal’s judgement at the Supreme Court.
Speaking, however, on the controversial judgement by the Tribunal, Osemwegie, said the legal tussle between Obi and Tinubu is not over.
The governorship aspirant, under the platform of the Labour Party in the Edo 2024 election said though the judgement of the tribunal had dashed the hope of Nigerians, the verdict did not reflect the position of the constitution of the country.
Vanguard reported that the governorship aspirant on Wednesday said the tribunal’s judgement was a slap on the face of Nigerians.
He said, “I’m dismayed by the PEPT’s judgment as it amounts to a total abdication of power to the executive arm of government in a manner indicative of state capture, and does not reflect the independence of the judiciary as envisaged by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is a slap on us as a nation that prides itself as the “Giant of Africa”.
“This aberration should be strongly condemned in its entirety. I believe it is an attempt to legitimize the imposed presidency of Bola Tinubu; dash the hope of the ordinary and long-suffering Nigerians for a new nation anchored on the principles of justice, equity and fairness; and grossly undermine the moral and ethical standards of the larger society.”
Speaking, however, on his aspiration, Osemwegie, promised to make Edo an industrial hub of Nigeria when elected next year. The politician, while speaking on sources of funding for his proposed initiatives for the State, drew a comparison between Edo and New Jersey, Naija News understands.
He said, “Edo approximately covers an area of 19,000 sq km, same as New Jersey USA. Edo population is approximately 4.5 million, while New Jersey is approximately 9 million people (double the population of Edo State). The current annual budget of Edo is 360 billion naira (approximately 0.4 billion US dollars) while New Jersey’s annual budget is at a whopping 54 billion US dollars.
“There is no money to develop and industrialise Edo based on its paltry resources, therefore new funding must come from the diaspora in the form of investment bonds which will be sold to Edo indigenes in Diaspora”.
