*Edo 2020: Don’t bow to godfatherism, Okiye urges electorate*
*_…rallies support for Obaseki’s reelection_*
Ahead of Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Edo State, Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Francis Okiye, has charged eligible voters to come out en masse with their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and vote against godfatherism in the state.
Hon. Okiye, in a statement, urged voters to reelect Governor Godwin Obaseki, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to ensure godfatherism does not rear its ugly head in the state, either now or in the future.
According to the Speaker, “Our forefathers did not bequeath to us a land led by a task master, they did not bear us into a world led by a slave driver; they worked and toiled day and night to build a society of free people in which our revered traditional institution is the source of our pride, and liberty is the foundation of our strength and existence.
“We were not born cowards, we are who we are – illustrious sons and daughters of a great state with an extremely rich cultural heritage, unique in hospitality and courageous in the face of challenges, we have never succumbed to a task master and we will never bow to a godfather, because no man is god, and by our tradition it is a sacrilege to worship man.”
He continued: “Our people hate no one, we deride no man, but on 19 September 2020, we the people of Edo shall make a profound statement that no politician or a political task master is big enough to capture our conscience or strong enough to lord it over us, and we shall never allow godfatherism to rear its ugly head in our dear state, either now or at any point.
“My dear people of Edo State, as another historical moment beckons, your beloved Governor, Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki and affectionate Deputy Governor, Phillip Shaibu, of the Peoples Democratic Party, have humbly submitted themselves to work with you to protect our future and defend our rich cultural heritage, having worked day and night in the last four years to serve the people of this great state.
“Let it be written for all to read that on Saturday, 19 September 2020, we the people of Edo State in our moment of rectitude, spoke in a very loud profound voice that our cherished land is not just another land for the taken (Edo No-be Lagos), and as a God-fearing people, we did not under any guise bow to a godfather or fall for a task master.
"The strength of our value lies in the preservation of our identity as the heartbeat of Nigeria, and as Edolites, we owe Nigeria a duty to protect and defend this shared honour by coming out on Saturday to use the sanctity of our votes and the honour of our thumbs to return Obaseki and Shaibu for a second term of office.” ... See MoreSee Less
