Urges Gov. Okpebholo to focus on governance
By Solomon Ewela, Benin
The Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State has condemned a statement by the Edo State Government, signed by the Attorney General of the state, Barr. Samson Osagie, threatening legal action against one of its members, Ogbeide Ifaluyi-Isibor, over opinions he made via his personal Facebook page critiquing the poor state of governance and leadership in the state.
In a press statement signed by Tony Aziegbemi, Chairman,
Edo PDP Caretaker Committee, the party described as the statement by the Osagie as embarrassing and an attempt to stifle dissenting voices, suppress opposition, and intimidate concerned citizens who dare to speak truth to power.
He said the Attorney General had in the statement, threatened to sue Ifaluyi-isibor for criminal defamation, ignoring the critical role of opposition and citizens in holding the government accountable.
Dr. Aziegbemi said: “We want to remind Osagie and his principal, Okpebholo that they are in government and holding public trust, and as long as that remains the case, every citizen in Edo State, and indeed in Nigeria, reserves the right to freely express their opinion on how well or how poorly their government is performing”.
He stated further that “They therefore do not have the liberty to threaten anyone simply because they are criticizing the government or holding it accountable.
The statement reads in part: “However, as a party, our position is that there is nothing to suggest that anything Ogbeide Ifaluyi-isibor said is false”. “Infact, everything he said in his commentary is a factual and accurate assessment of how poorly the Monday Okpebholo-led administration is performing”.
Dr. Aziegbemi decried that the State Government has been clearly dysfunctional and the Governor is hardly ever around to superintend over the affairs of the State, stressing that it is responsible for the retrogression being witnessed across all sectors of the State, from education, to security, economy, healthcare, among others.
“The duty of the opposition and indeed the general public is to hold Government to account and that’s exactly what Ogbeide Ifaluyi-isibor has done and his views are the position of the PDP in the State. It is therefore irrational for Osagie and the Edo State Government to threaten him for performing his duty as a citizen by demanding accountability and better governance”. The statement concludes.
It would be recalled that the Edo government issued Ogbeide Ifaluyi-Isibor a 24-hour ultimatum to retract and apologise for a defamatory social media post.
Failure to comply, the government warned, will lead to both civil and criminal legal proceedings against him.
The warning was relayed in a letter signed by the attorney general and commissioner for justice, Samson Osagie, dated June 8.
The government condemned the post circulated on Friday, which accused the administration of irregularities and incompetence.
It described Mr Ifaluyi-Isibor’s post as malicious and defamatory to Governor Monday Okpebholo and members of the Edo Executive Council.
Discussion about this post