CRPP Berates Afegbua Over Outburst, Uncouth Language, Insists Okpebholo Should Resign For Poor Performance

Okpebholo                        

Hendrix Oliomogbe

The national chairman of the Coalition of Registered Political Parties (CRPP), Dr Samson Isibor has berated Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Strategy, Prince Kaseem Afegbua over what he insisted as his outburst and uncouth response to his damning assessment of  Senator Monday Okpebholo's stewardship as governor of Edo State since he took the reins of power on November 12, 2024.

In a statement weekend in Benin City, Dr. Isibor said that his poor assessment of Governor Okpebholo was supposed to serve as a wake up call and not bore out of any personal grudges against him.

The CRPP national chairman said that he stood by Senator Okpebholo when majority of Edo people including Prince Afegbua dismissed him with a wave of the hand during the run up to the primary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He advised the commissioner "to learn to be disciplined in his outburst and stop using uncouth languages", adding:

"What Edo people need now is urgent solution to their problems and not rhetorics. We advise him to also advise his pay master to stop campaigning for 2.5 million votes for President Bola Tinubu and face the real business of governance. After all, it is only the living, not the dead, that will vote in the coming elections."

He said that he stood firmly by the group's accusation of Senator Okpebholo's ineptitude and nonchalant attitude to the abject poverty, insecurity and hardship staring the common man on the streets of Edo. 

The statement added: "Governor Okpebholo has not performed despite the huge funds received from the Federation Account, billions of naira in security votes and increased Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). Okpebholo should sit up or resign and face Tinubu's reelection campaign if that is his priority."

Continuing, he noted that the commissioner tried to explain away the salient points raised in the earlier statement with "big grammatical language that neither puts food on the table of the common man nor ensures their security and resulting to name calling."

Dr. Isibor insisted that as the voice of the common man on the street of Edo, CRPP have the right to a constructive criticism of government in power as it is the best way of reawakening those in power to the harsh reality of the sit

He said: "It is on record that CRPP campaigned vigorously for Governor Okpebholo during the APC primary election while Prince Afegbua and his former boss were heavily opposed to Okpebholo's emergence as governorship candidate.

"But now that Governor Okpebholo has jettisoned his primary responsibility of governance and securing the state for campaigning for President Bola Tinubu's reelection, we owe it a duty to tell him so."

He slammed Prince Afegbua for derisively referring to members of CRPP as "chop-chop or jeun jẹun" organization and challenged him to tell Nigerians how many times they've come to him cap in hand to beg for food or appointments at Government House, Benin. 

He added: "It is an undeniable fact that Edo people are kidnapped like chicken across the three senatorial districts on a daily basis. Prices of staple foods are beyond the common man, unemployment rate has hit the roof top, and the entire state in total darkness. Good and motorable roads are fast disappearing, functional health care system is no more, affordable house rent is now history. 

Dr. Isibor challenged Prince Afegbua to give explanations to these non assailable facts and also tell Edo people if the hundreds of youths who protested at Ugbowo during the week were seeking government's appointments.

He stoutly defended CRPP, noting that the organization is a principled pressure group led by sound-minded people of unblemished character fighting injustice and for the welfare of the downtrodden by putting the government in power, which cares to listen, on its toes.