By Iduozee Paul, Benin Correspondent
The Edo State Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) chairman, Dan Ose Orbhi, has berated the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) government, led by President Muhammadu Buhari for unleashing unprecedented hardship, hunger, poverty, unemployment, insecurity and other vices on Nigerians since he assumed office.
Dan Orbhi also rated low the senator representing Etsako Federal constituency in the upper House; Senator Francis Alimenkhena on project execution in the areas, lamenting that the only project he saw after touring the constituency is the erection of the Senator’s campaign billboard, sign-posts and posters in every local government area he visited.
Orbih blamed the Buhari government for failure to create good governance for Nigerians. He said President Buhari has failed woefully compared to when PDP was in power.
The PDP boss spoke at the weekend in Auchi, in South-Ibe Etsako Central and Etsako East, in Ogbon, at Agenebode where he received over 1,000 members of APC who defected to PDP in Edo state, as a result of bad leadership by the APC.
”In any political office you hold, let your development speak for you. I traveled through Afuze to Agenebode to see what Senator Francis Alimenkhena has done, no tangible projects found, but his billboards everywhere. What we see is Oracle billboard of under-development. I have looked at all the records his performance in the Senate.’’
”And I have cause to tell you his performances with our late Senator John Umolu, I can tell you categorically that, even late Senator John Umolu did better than Senator Francis Alimenkhena. I know John Umolu, I know Francis Alimenkhena, I also know Engr. Abubakar Momoh. I know all of them very well.
”This present race where we have two persons, what to consider is the one that has good records; I am here today to tell you that the choice of these two people is Engr. Momoh. His track-records as a former member representing Etsako Federal constituency is there to speak volumes of what he is capable of doing. We are parading the very best as our candidates across the state, and all over Nigeria. When I leave Agenebode, I will go to Abuja, and tell them in Abuja that Agenebode is well articulated.
Today my task is very simple with happiness and joy to receive members of the APC in Edo who threw away their brooms and embraced the umbrella. My task will not hinder me not to tell you what is happening in Nigeria today. We are passing very great times of difficulties, Nigerians are lamenting. There is hunger and poverty in the country. The people are waiting anxiously for that date when they will cast their votes and effects a change in the government of this nation.
President Buhari has failed, Nigerians can now see the differences between the APC and the PDP. There is no basis for comparism at all. For three years, APC regime has done nothing. So, the next elections coming we must ensure we send people who are capable of making a very decisive change that will affect positively, the destiny of our people. For the past three years of this regime, our people cannot go to their farms.
“For the first time in the history of Nigeria, people are afraid to go to their farms because of killer Fulani herdsmen. Before now nobody talked about herdsmen, before we talked about Dan Fulani, now herdesmen prevent our women to go to their farm, helmsmen had make it impossible for us to explore our agricultural potentials in our land.’’
The PDP boss said the party would be back for campaigns to bring to the people a message of hope.
“When we come we are going to send a message of PDP which is the message of hope and salvation. We have taken pains to conduct the best national convention in the history of Nigeria without any candidate going to court. We have 12 presidential candidates; only one emerged that is the person of General Atiku Abubakar. Atiktu is the next president of Nigeria with their support,” Orhbi asserted.
Also speaking, the PDP senatorial candidate for Etasko federal constituency, Abubakar Momoh, told the people of Ogbona in Agenebode to tell Senator Francis Alimenkhena to challenge him in a media debate what the incumbent has done in his three years in the Upper Chamber.
“Let me use this opportunity to send a message to Senator Alimenkhena. I want Alimenkhena to face me in a media debate and let us tell Etasko people what he has done. Whoever that knows him should tell him I want to face him in a debate on what he has been able to achieve for the past three years.
“It is not a enough for him to tell his press secretary to write press releases, let Alimenkhena come and face me in the public media debate. The press people had sent message to me that they want I and Senator Alimenkhena to engage ourselves in public debate,” he said.
