I HAVE THE RIGHT TO CONTEST FOR THE PRESIDENCY

The state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday said Despite the crisis rocking the Edo State House of Assembly, his state was not on fire, but for the lawmaker of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who are celebrating lawlessness.

He also 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.”