Oshiomhole swears-in, suspends new LG chairman

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has sworn
in Mr. Alhassan Mohammed as Chairman, Etsako
West Local Government Area and immediately
suspended him for two months.
The new Chairman was sworn-in, following the
death, last Friday, of the former Chairman of the
Local Government, Alhaji Hassan Kadiri.
The Governor directed the new Vice Chairman of
the Local Government, Mr. Busari Yusuf, to act as
the interim Chairman pending the findings of a
panel of enquiry to investigate the allegations
against the new Chairman.
Speaking Tuesday at the swearing-in ceremony,
the Governor said: “I have just performed the
task of swearing in the Vice Chairman of Etsako
West Local Government as the substantive
Chairman of the Local Government following the
death of the Chairman, Alhaji Hassan Kadiri who
passed away last week Friday.
“This afternoon I have performed a task with
mixed feelings. On the one hand, I had the
privilege of having to swear in a Chairman and on
the other hand I am pained by the loss of someone
who worked so hard for this party and who believed
so much in his community but what made me even
more sad is the fact that there were controversies
as to what happened the very day that Hassan
passed away.
“Some disgruntled elements whether they were
masquerading as student union government
officials or they were just touts and thugs, were
hired by some persons to organize a protest that
was almost turning violent such that they had to
bring in the police and even the army to intervene
to restore peace in the local government.”
Oshiomhole continued, “I am informed that the
purpose of this protest was that Hassan on his sick
bed should be relieved of his duties as Chairman so
that the Vice Chairman could take over his job. I
do not think human beings should play God. Today,
I am hale and hearty and I thank God for being
here to be able to sign what I have to sign, this is
not by my strength, it is only by the grace of God.
What will become of me in the next one hour I
cannot say, I can only pray that I remain strong
and healthy and I guess my story is the story of
every human being.
“So for me, it is absolutely unacceptable that
anyone will be so desperate as to instigate another
to protest against a man that is bedridden and
admitted in the hospital fighting for his life. Our
jobs are worthless without life and all of us we have
our dates to depart this planet earth. So, for
anyone to organize protest against someone who is
bedridden that he should be forced out of office
so that another person will get promotion is
unethical, and absolutely unacceptable and to
publicly organize protest against the sick making
unprintable statements, disturbing the public peace
and mobilizing people to do things that are capable
of leading to riots with the possibility of even
death, that, for me, is the height of
irresponsibility and I do not think any civilized
government will condone that.”
The Governor said, “Therefore in exercise of the
powers vested in me as the Governor of Edo State
under the Local Government Amended Acts, where
there are weighty allegations against Local
Government Officers, I have powers to carry out a
thorough investigation on those allegations because
we know for a fact that to allege does not
necessarily mean to prove. Allegations must be
proven before any further actions.
“I do not have all the facts as to whom and who
are responsible for these protests but I know there
was a protest that could have easily destabilized
the entire local government with serious
implications for community relations. However who
is behind it, though we know the characters that
were on the street, at least some of them, we do
not know the characters behind those who were on
the street. As our people say, for every bat that is
dancing on the road, there is someone beating the
drum in the bush nearby. It is those drummers
that we now must go for.
“The name of the former Vice Chairman who is now
the Chairman has been mentioned by several
persons as being responsible for financing and
instigating students who are supposed to be on
vacation and who are on vacation to come back like
a general purpose vehicle to carry out those
protests in order to force the resignation or the
removal of the Chairman that was bedridden.
“As a matter of conscience, therefore, I have
decided that these allegations have to be
investigated and under the Local Government
Amendment Acts, while these investigations are
going on, the Chairman has to be suspended. I have
served him his suspension letter, he stands
suspended with immediate effect and I will be
announcing a Commission of Enquiry that we
investigate all the issues that led to that protest.
Until then, depending on the findings of the
Committee, the Vice Chairman that has just been
sworn in will act as the Chairman of Etsako West
Local Government Area in accordance with the
Local Government Amended Act”.
Appealing to the people to maintain calm and
ensure peace in the local government, Oshiomhole
said, “I want to appeal to our people, let no one do
anything to undermine the peace and stability of
Etsako West Local Government. If anybody does
anything that leads to any crisis, be assured that I
have the political will to get the police not only to
arrest but to thoroughly investigate and the
person will be diligently prosecuted and if convicted
he will go to prison in accordance with the laws of
Edo State.
“This government will not submit to political
sentiments. We must respect people even on their
sick bed and anyone who seeks to profit from the
misfortune of others does not have my backing. So
I want to appeal to all concerned to maintain the
peace, we have an open mind, we will select men
and women of integrity as members of the
Administrative Panel and their report, when
forwarded to me, will be submitted to the State
House of Assembly which has the responsibility to
go through it together with my recommendations
and they will decide the way to have this matter
finally settled.
“This will last for a period of about two months in
accordance with the provisions of the law. In our
culture and religion, when you have lost someone
known to us, we don’t celebrate, we don’t presume,
it is a moment for sober reflection, it is a moment
to remind us that all of us all candidates but we do
not know when our moment will come and he who
laughs today might be the one to cry tomorrow, so
let nobody jubilate nor should we also go rioting
because someone has passed on.
“I have acted in good faith and I believe that our
people in Etsako West should not doubt my sincerity
of purpose. I have a duty to maintain peace in
every part of the state and this action is meant to
show that this government will not reward those
who wish ill for others. We should be our brother’s
keepers”, Oshiomhole stressed.