that his state was not on fire, but for the lawmaker of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who are celebrating
lawlessness.
He equally stated that he has the right as a Nigerian to contest for
the presidency if he so desired, adding that all efforts by
PDP in the state to intimidate him would continue to fail.
Oshiomhole, who was reacting to a statement by the
National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, who
had accused him of pursuing a vice-presidential ambition
in 2015 and thus was setting his state ablaze, said the
statement by Metuh was unreasonable.
Oshiomhole while speaking to State House
correspondents in Abuja, said the PDP could not
intimidate him no matter how hard it tried, adding that it
was impossible to set the state he presides over on fire.
On the crisis rocking the Edo State House of Assembly,
Oshiomhole said: "You have some people who believe
that because they are members of the PDP that they are
above the law and they want to celebrate the culture of
impunity.
"But I am a product of a struggle all my life, I'm used to
people who think that they are much more than what
they are. And my own life history tells me that only the
man on the side of truth is on the side of God and only
that could survive.
"The issue in Edo is straight forward: Four members of
the PDP on their own went to court asking the Federal
High Court to ask the speaker not to declare their seats
vacant. Number two, they asked the court to restrain the
speaker and the House of Assembly from carrying out
any disciplinary action against them. The court granted
these two prayers.
"Now the issue is, I can understand why they were
asking that their seats should not be declared vacant
because they had changed camps in accordance with
the penalty as provided by Section 109 of the
constitution.
"But they also went on to ask the court to restrain the
speaker from suspending them based on internal
disciplinary issues.
"The court granted both prayers, but when the motion
was argued by both sides, the court ordered that the
speaker should still not declare their seats vacant,
pending the determination of the substantive suit.
"However the court vacated the order restraining the
House and the speaker from suspending them for any
alleged misconduct on the grounds that the court cannot
prevent an arm of government from carrying out internal
disciplinary measures.
"Now having vacated one leg, the House met
subsequently and based on their rules, suspended these
four members. You know as media men and women that
across the 36 state Houses of Assembly and even the
National Assembly at one time or the other, members
have been suspended for one offence or the other.
"And in a democracy, if any action is taken against you
and you are not satisfied, there is only one civilised way
to go, that is to go to court. However these members
refused to abide by the suspension order in clear
violation of the rules of the House of Assembly.
"The House of Assembly, determined to be on the right
side of the law, decided that rather than physically
resolve the matter decided to approach the High Court
to ask it to grant an interim injunction restraining the
four suspended members from coming into the House of
Assembly."
He stressed that because the police was aiding and
abetting the suspended members, the House asked the
court to restrain the police from aiding and abetting
them from violating the suspension order.
The governor added that the High Court granted the
order, restraining them from going to House of
Assembly, and restraining the police from aiding and
abetting them.
"I am sure you have seen on the news that they
boastfully said they will not obey the court order. In fact,
they described the court order as useless. And when the
bailiff went to serve them the contempt paper, they
harassed and abused the hell out of the bailiff, which
means these guys because they are members of the PDP
believe they are above the law, they are above the court
and that court orders are not meant to be obeyed.
"Ironically, the only reason Edo tax payers' money is
spent to maintain these honourable members of the
House is to make laws for the good governance of the
state and yet you who live on law making, you are the
first to dismiss the order of a High Court even when you
were the first to approach the High Court for protection.
"And as we speak, you are enjoying that protection but
the other leg of the court decision that is against you,
you choose to disobey it."
He bemoaned the excessive use of power by the police,
which he said was compromising the commercial and
economic life of Edo State.
"So if four people refuse to obey a court order that does
not mean the state is on fire. You just have few people
who are celebrating lawlessness and the police force is
helping them to celebrate the lawlessness," he stressed.
On his position, he said: "Simple! Without the state
instrument on the streets of this city of Abuja we
confronted the powers that be. We confronted people
who occupied this villa from 1999 to 2007, I did it along
with my colleagues; across the 36 states we did. So I am
not a coward that can be intimidated.
"One thing is that the general election is coming 2015
and we have defeated PDP consistently since 2009 when
I assumed office. Every bye-election they lost.
"The last National Assembly election we defeated them
in the whole of Edo South, which is about 51 per cent of
the population; we defeated them in Edo North which is
about 33 per cent of the population; we defeated them
in Edo Central which accounts for about 17 per cent of
the population.
"In my own election, despite all that they boasted that
they were going to do, I defeated them in all the 18 local
government areas including the local government of the
PDP godfather.
"And so what they are trying to do now is that having
lost the elections, having been rejected by the Edo
people and knowing that another election is coming,
they want to destablise the state, intimidate my person.
"And as you read one Methuselah or Olisa Metuh or by
whatever name he is called, he was reported as saying
that I am destabilising Edo State because I want to
contest for the vice-presidency.
"Now that is standing logic upside down. If I wanted to
contest for the vice-presidency, do I need to destabilise
the government that I currently head?
"So they have let out the cat, meaning that they are
afraid for their own rumoured ambition that I want to
contest for the vice-presidency. So the point I want to
make is that if I decide even to contest for the
presidency, PDP cannot intimidate me, I have a right to
do so if it is my conviction.
"It is unfortunate that some people want to put their
individual interest above national interest and I cannot
be intimidated. I'm firmly on ground and there is nothing
to worry about."
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