The State Media Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress for the Edo Governorship election has mocked Governor Godwin Obaseki as a drowning man following yet another wave of resignations that plagued his government as more aides announce their departure.
On Tuesday, two top aides, Hon. Joe Okonigene and Hon. Aimiolemen Noah Idemudia, also known as Paddy Noah, announced their resignation from the Obaseki-government and led thousands of their followers to the private residence of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Pastor Ize-Iyamu, where they declared their complete loyalty and vowed to deliver his victory at the polls.
Reacting to the development, in a statement made available to Igbere TV Tuesday night, the Governor was accused of planting a speculative report suggesting that the aides were induced to resign their positions.
However, in a statement released today by the Chairman of the APC State Media Campaign Council, Mr. John Mayaki, the report was denounced as an attempt by the “drowning governor” to blame others for his woes and a ruse to help him live with his failure until his exit on Election Day.
He said: “Godwin Obaseki is a drowning man who is unwilling to take responsibility for his failure. His aides have since realized that his ship is a drowning one, that he has been rejected by the people, and so they have been abandoning him in drove.”
“Obviously, this development puts him to shame. His attempt to block these resignations through brute force and holding them hostage had little or no effect. They stared down his barrel and called his bluff.”
“So in a bid to live with the failure until September when his disgrace will be complete and perfected, he directed his Chief Propagandist, Crusoe Osagie, the media aide who has been rendered witless and reduced to a common fake news peddler by the inertia and desperation of the man he serves, to spread the baseless and hare-brained narrative that Captain Hosa and Comrade Oshiomhole are offering his aides money in exchange for their resignation.”
“The question to ask Obaseki is: how much was offered to his Chief of Staff, Taiwo Akerele, who resigned as far back as April when Mr. Godwin Obaseki was still living in the fool’s paradise that a second-term was his birthright even in the face of monumental failure as a Governor?”
“Upon Taiwo Akerele’s resignation, Obaseki tried to scare other aides who had already drafted their resignation letters into submission by invading the young man’s residence with his thugs and other armed officers seeking to illegally apprehend and intimidate him. But that fear has worn off, hence the new wave of resignations.”
“To attribute this to Captain Hosa Okunbo, who for reasons best known to him Obaseki has declared an enemy despite his many contributions to his administration and the State, and to spin the fallacious report that Oshiomhole has also paid money to anyone are indications that the Governor may be suffering an early trauma from the impending embarrassing defeat in September.”
“Failures are never out of excuses. They deal only in blame-game and never take responsibility for anything. It is shameful that while one of his Commissioners remain in jail in France over allegations of money laundering, Obaseki has personally accused the remainder of being low in character and repute such that they will betray their conscience for money.”
“It just shows that he has scant regard for those who work with him. And is it a surprise that they are abandoning such a man?”