Oshiomhole swears in, suspends new LG chairman

Edo State Governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole

The Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, on Tuesday suspended the Chairman of Etsako West Local Government Area, Alhassan Mohammed, for two months, few minutes after he was sworn in as the chairman of the area.

Governor Oshiomhole explained that the suspension followed controversies surrounding the death of the former chairman of the area, Alhaji Hassan Kadiri, who died last Friday, the same day a protest was organised against him (Kadiri) over his ill-health.

He also directed the new Vice Chairman of the local government, Busari Yusuf, to act as the interim Chairman, pending the outcome of a panel of enquiry set up to investigate the allegations of complicity against Mohammed.

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While condemning the protest, Oshiomhole said, “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.

“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 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 organise protest against the sick, making unprintable statements, disturbing the public peace and mobilising 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 civilised government will condone that.”

“I do not have all the facts as to who are responsible for these protests but I know there was a protest that could have easily destabilised the entire local government with serious implications for community relations. 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.

“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 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.”