Governor of Edo state, Godwin Obaseki, has been criticized for allegedly paying out N50 million of tax-payers money to some women to demonstrate against former Governor, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, over the latter’s reactions to the outburst of the First Lady of Edo state, Betsy Obaseki.

Expressing his displeasure today, Sir Matthew Osifo, a retired permanent secretary and Convener of Election Eyewitness Report, heaps the bulk of the blame on the out-going Governor Obaseki for not able to inculcate discipline in the wife, Mrs. Obaseki.

While condemning Obaseki for allegedly spending N50m on some women to protest against Comrade Oshiomhole, Osifo said that the out-going governor has just displayed another act of desperation and should apologize to Senator Monday Okpebholo, Comrade Oshiomhole and the people of Edo state.

According to him, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki has thrown open the floodgate of the campaign of calumny in Edo state.

“The campaign for the governorship election has been going on well until the First Lady changed that with her tongue.

He added that “rather than accept the money to make a shameful appearance in public, the women should berate the First Lady for insulting Senator Okpebholo and wrongly claiming that he does not have a wife.”

“We know what people have said about Betsy and Godwin in the past, but we chose not to let the rubbish out of the bag.

“We are saddened and ashamed because it is one thing to marry a woman but another thing to manage her properly, which Obaseki has failed to do.”

“Why will anybody blame Comrade Oshiomhole for coming out heavily on Betsy Obaseki in defence of his candidate?

“Comrade Oshiomhole has lived with the fact that Obaseki and Betsy are in a contract marriage that is childless.”

“But now that the First Lady has brought herself so low, the proper thing to do was what Oshiomhole did, by exposing her because those who live in glass houses do not throw stones.
“Betsy Obaseki threw very heavy stones at Okpebholo and we expected Edo women and Nigerian women to condemn her.”
Continuing, Osifo added that, “the manner the First Lady took the centre stage in the presence of her husband to tongue-lash their political opponent, Senator Monday Okpebholo, speaks volumes about the kind of home Obaseki was running. I cannot pity him enough.”

“Some spokespersons of the PDP have even suggested that Oshiomhole should have ignored the First Lady because she was a woman.
“These sets of people have even demeaned the womenfolk more than anybody else by bending the rules to favour a woman who was not properly trained.”
Those who know Betsy Obaseki very well claimed that she was less enterprising than the husband. Some even added that she does not have a compassionate heart and that she was worse than Governor Obaseki,” he concluded.

Few days ago, during the PDP campaign for Asue Ighodalo in Esanland, wife of the out-going Governor Obaseki took the centre stage to lambast Senator Monday Okpebholo alleging that he does not have a wife. But this is wrong; not only is the senator married, he also has children.

Another group that has condemned her position, has also asked that between a wife and a child, which was more important for a man who wants to govern a state.

Senator Ned Nwoko, yielding to the call of Ika Nation, held a crucial ANIOMA stakeholders summit.

At the this Stakeholders Summit held on Saturday the 31st of August 2024, the Dein of Agbor was invited as a Special Guest Speaker. 

While giving his speech, The Dein of Agbor thanked the Senator for this move and reminded him of the need to keep politics out of the Anioma State Movement, and reminded him of the importance of the state and how it is a dream for all ethnicities (Ika, Ndokwa, & Aniocha-Oshimili) within the ANIOMA hegemony. 

He also advised the Senator  to keep it off disintegrating Nigeria seeing that the move has mainly been led both online and physically by Ohaneze Ndigbo and members of separatist group, IPOB who seek to create their own country out of Nigeria.

This further remphasizes the stance of Ika People since Sen Ned Nwoko proposed the bill for Creation of the State; 

Onu Ika, the top socio cultural and political organization representing the Ika Ethnic Nation- “ANIOMA state will only be considered if it is in the old Midwestern region/ South South Region, and not the South East.” 

Ikoro Agbor, Agbor Youths group- “Agbor Kingdom has no shared history, governing commonality, or association with the Igbo, before or after British Colonialism & Agbor Kingdom remain United in the quest for Anioma State” 

Owa Progressives, Owa Kingdom- “Wholeheartedly supported the creation of Anioma State as part of the South-South region to address misrepresentation of its people. This will also help boost economic activities within the region. However we reject the annexation of the ANIOMA region to the South East Region” 

Enugu State Government will in the coming days move against properties, whether private residences or business premises, used for kidnap purposes, the state government has said.

In a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, on Tuesday, the government said the step was in continuation of the determined effort of the Governor Peter Mbah Administration to rid the state of all forms of crimes and criminalities.

Recall that the Enugu State House of Assembly had in November 2016 amended the Criminal Code Law of Enugu State, which was subsequently signed into Law by the former governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, on 20th January 2017.

Section 315 of the Criminal Code (Second Amendment) Law Cap. 30, Laws of Enugu State, currently provides, “If the building or structure owned by the offender or any other person, who knows or ought to reasonably know that the building or structure is so being used for that purpose, the building or structure shall be demolished or forfeited to the State Government.”

Enugu citizens have therefore wondered why the government is yet to enforce it eight years after.

But responding to the citizen agitations over what they perceived as a lukewarm attitude to the law, the current administration said it was taking time to carry out due diligence to ensure that nobody suffers undue losses or miscarriage of justice.

The government warned property owners to take necessary steps to know their prospective tenants before leasing properties to them.

“Now, after due diligence, the government has compiled the properties used for kidnapping purposes in recent times and they will go down sooner than later to serve a deterrent to others.

“There is no hiding place for criminal elements in Enugu State. They either repent, leave town or meet their Waterloo. The choice is theirs”.