By Ehichioya Steve Odion
Foremost aspirant for the Edo Central Senatorial by-election and former chairman of Esan North East Local Government Council, Hon. John Yakubu has described the recent Tribunal judgement on Edo election as a miscarriage of justice.
Yakubu who made this known during the weekend in a popular ITV programme "Politics Today" noted that the process of enthroning democracy in Nigeria had suffered another setback.
He said the Peoples Democratic party, PDP, challenged the alleged manipulations that took place at the collation centers which were very obvious to the people of Edo State. He added that the people who voted massively for Dr. Asue Ighodalo were equally disappointed with the Tribunal's judgement.
"Our party submitted the real results of the election to the Tribunal which was equally certified by INEC and admitted by the court and marked as exhibit. How can you continue in this manner. People rejoicing for manipulating election process? What we had in Edo was day light robbery. People are now saying they may not vote in subsequent elections with the open manipulation they witnessed in the last Edo election".
Yakubu further said that the Tribunal decision to deliver a judgement that is not satisfactory to the generality of the people of Edo State should not be celebrated under any guise.
"I Know what Dr. Asue Ighodalo is feeling right now and Edo people that voted for him, because I was also a victim of electoral manipulation".
On the Uromi saga, John Yakubu said the people of Uromi community have always enjoyed good relationship with strangers in the past. But he said for over six months now Uromi community have never known peace due to incessant killings of the people by herdsmen and kidnappers.
He lamented that within this period over 600 millions naira has been paid by Uromi people as ransom to kidnappers and invaders.
He also recalled how a woman was kidnapped in the community and later released in the Auchi axis of the State after paying 20 million naira as ransom. He added that the woman is presently under going treatment in the hospital. He regretted that the governments are not looking in the direction to remedy the situation.
Yakubu said the negligence of the present government in the State has not helped the situation hence the people continue to live in fear as had been slaughtered by herdsmen in their homeland.
He also recalled that before the Edo election vigilante were disbanded in the state and they were not allowed to return even after the election, and the government later retrieved their guns which heightened the level of insecurity in the state till this period.
He said he welcomed the peace journey by Governor Okpebholo to his Kano State counterpart, Abba Kabir Yusuf, just as he said he would equally expected the Edo Governor to have asked his host to also visit Uromi so that he can get brief of the security situation in the community.
on the role of local governments in combating the present insecurity in the state, he said local governments do not really have much to do in this security situation, as the main responsibility lies with state governments to permanently solve this present security problems across the country.
Yakubu disclosed that Esan people have made huge investments in security by establishing a security outfit called "Atanakpa" that was fully sponsored by the people through voluntary financial donations that was used in buying vehicles and other things for them to operate until their erstwhile commander Ibadin who was engaged by the present government, retrieved their guns and made them helpless in carrying out their duty to safeguard their communities.
He advised the government to approach the insecurity in the state with sincerity by engaging those young people who are conversant with their communities and trained them to save guard their people.
He also called on the telecom companies in the state to come in and assist through technology to always tracked these kidnappers who use phones to negotiate for ransoms.
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