Benin National Congress

(we are back to the drawing board) being the title of a speech presented in honor of Hon. Osaro Obazee, Chairmanship Candidate of the Action Congress, on the occasion of a formal courtesy call to the Congress secretariat complex, on Saturday 1st December 2007.

On behalf of all members and trustees of the Benin National Congress, I wish to formally welcome you and members of your campaign committee to our office and to thank you for honoring your pledge to visit us ahead of the December 15th Local Council elections. The title of this paper was carefully chosen by the publicity and intelligence committee of the Congress as a direct response to the sustained agitation of Edo people of good conscience for good grass-root governance. Once again, you are welcome.

The resolve to interview all Local Councils candidates across political parties in the countdown to the December election was taken after a critical observation of the poor performance of Local Councils administration in the State in the last eight years. Apart from Owan East Local Government Council (Afuzee) one can hardly point to any council that performed reasonably in view of its allocation and internal revenue. This primarily account for our resolve to back the former Council boss, Hon. Parley Iriase when he slogged it out with some party leaders in that Council. When one takes a look at Oredo Council’s infrastructures and the so-called projects that have been done, it rather calls for a sober reflection.

It would be recalled that in the Month of April this year, the Congress similarly interview the three major senatorial candidates (Col. Paul Ogbebor of the A.N.P.P., Pharm. Matthew Urhoghide of the Action Congress and Arch. Ehigie Uzamere PDP- the senator representing Edo South in the Senate.) so that it provide a platform for assessing our would-be senator and pointing out the major concerns of our people.

Another angle to view the title of this paper is the disillusioned mind set of our people towards future elections in Nigeria, especially after the “brutally rigged elections of April” which was best described by Chief Anthony Enahoro, the Adolor of Uromi as a “disaster” .We wish to warn the State Independent Electoral COMMISSION that Edo people will not tolerate another round of rigged elections because they are still sobering over the last “damage” on our collective psyche. Foe instance, the traffic situation in Benin City whenever Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and the State Government are in the tribunal is terrifying, so much so that some of our people died while being rushed to the Hospitals. This majorly account for our sustained agitation for the arrest and prosecution of Prof. Maurice Iwu having superintended over the most catastrophic elections in our history.

We wish to state on equivocally that in as much as the race to the Councils Chairmanship has began; we are going to be interviewing all candidates of good conscience from time to time. However, based on popular expression, the fact that Hon. Osaro Obazee is a square peg seeking a square hole cannot be disproved. He is hereby endorsed as the most distinguished candidate for the Council election.

Our guest and his entourage are hereby advised to be of good behavior before, during and after the council elections.

Thanks for coming and God Bless.