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Obaseki’s is on the run as Okpebholo calls for Gov’s mental examination

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Edo State Governor-Elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has called on the out-going Governor of the State, Godwin Obaseki, to seek immediate attention of a psychiatrist, following his recent utterances and public displays.

In a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday and signed by Godspower Inegbe, Okpebholo said Edo people are worried by Obaseki’s reckless statements and urged him to evaluate his state of mind.

The Governor-Elect in the statement raised the alarm regarding the whereabouts of Obaseki, who on Friday reportedly fled Benin City, the Edo State capital, using a disguised bus.

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The statement revealed that Obaseki chased out everyone from the Government House on Friday before escaping to a yet-to-be known location more than 72 hours before his official departure from office.

The statement further noted that Obaseki is making the false claims to shift attention away from his sinister plans to leave the country through the land borders.

“As of Friday, 8th of November, the whereabout of Obaseki is unknown. He has chased everyone out of Edo State Government House. He has abandoned governance in the State, and he is on the run.

“He has escaped through the road out of Benin. He did not pass through the airport. If he is as popular as he claims, why did he not use the airport to escape? Instead, he hired a bus and disguised while escaping from Edo State.

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“Obaseki is trying to push out these narratives in order to distract the public. His antics will not work. We know his plans, and we will continue to expose his shenanigans to Edo people,” the statement read.

Obaseki, on Saturday, claimed that Senator Okpebholo did not invite him to his inauguration, slated for next Tuesday. He also claimed without proof that the Governor-Elect has a stolen mandate.

“Out-going Governor Godwin Obaseki needs serious and urgent psychiatric attention to evaluate his state of mind. His recent utterances and public displays should get Edo sons and daughters worried.

“In his latest diatribe, Obaseki, who has supervised one of the biggest financial heist and misappropriated resources of Edo state, is again engaging in his usual beer parlour talks.

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“According to the unpopular outgoing governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo stole the mandate freely given to him by Edo people. In his usual myopic mind, he wants to change the narratives and set a dangerous precedence,” Okpebholo noted in a statement.

The Governor-Elect said he won the elections convincingly and added that the tribunal will soon validate his claims. He said Obaseki would not get away with the reckless claims.

“Obaseki will not get away with this misrepresentation. Senator Monday Okpebholo, the Governor-Elect of Edo State, won the 21st September governorship election in Edo State.

Obaseki is still licking his wound of defeat and is yet to accept the reality. Edo people, through the ballot, rejected the planned continuation of Obaseki’s satanic government through his glorified stooge, Asue Ighodalo,” he mocked Obaseki

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Okpebholo said Obaseki is trying to influence the outcome of the ongoing case at the tribunal by making false claims. He said the attempt will fail like a pack of cards.

He said: “The Peoples Democratic Party is already challenging the outcome of the election in court. We are therefore worried that Obaseki is in a hurry to pre-empt the outcome of the tribunal by repeatedly making false claims.

“Unfortunately for Obaseki, his baseless claims will not stand. The Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Ighodalo, have no case against Senator Okpebholo. The tribunal will soon confirm that.”

He warned Obaseki to desist from making false claims and reminded him of severe consequences that may follow if he does not stop.

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Senator Okpebholo reminded Obaseki that he will soon lose his immunity and will therefore be forced to face the full wrath of the law if he does not retrace his steps.

“Although Senator Okpebholo is a man of peace, we will not sit back and allow him to keep misrepresenting the true outcome of what happened on the 21st of September.

“Obaseki will soon lose his immunity and if he continues to make his baseless claims, he will face the full wrath of the law very soon and he will prove his unfounded allegations when he is dragged to court,” Okpebholo warned in the statement.

Reacting to another claim by Obaseki that he was not invited to attend the inauguration slated for next Tuesday, Okpebholo described it as laughable, absurd, and questionable.

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He said that since he won the election, Obaseki has employed every means to frustrate a peaceful transfer of power. The Governor-elect noted that Obaseki has not extended any invitation to him for a meeting or a tour of the Government House.

The statement read: “Again, Obaseki also claimed that Senator Okpebholo did not invite him to the inauguration, slated for next Tuesday. This is laughable, absurd, and questionable. Since Senator Okpebholo was declared winner, Obaseki has employed every means to frustrate a peaceful transfer of power.

“As a sitting Governor, Obaseki should tell Edo people and Nigerians if he has ever invited the Governor-Elect, Senator Okpebholo to Government House for a meeting or a tour as a responsible man. Has Obaseki called Senator Okpebholo to congratulate him since he won the election?

“Obaseki should cover his face in shame, account for the billions he has misappropriated, and apologise to Edo people for under-developing the State in the last eight years.

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‘We urge Edo people to disregard Obaseki’s reckless statements and support the incoming administration of Senator Okpebholo to remedy the many wrongs of this government.”

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Shettima, Ganduje, Other APC Leaders Campaign For Aiyedatiwa In Ondo

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Vice President Kashim Shettima, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Gnaduje and other leaders of the party including state governors were all in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Wednesday to campaign for Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa ahead of the governorship election in the state on Saturday.

Shettima, who stood in for President Bola Tinubu at the rally, appealed to electorates in Ondo State to cast their votes en masse for the APC on Saturday to allow continuity of progressive governance.

Asides Vice President Shettima and Ganduje; governors of Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti states; minister of interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; minister of youths development, Ayodele Olawande, senate leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele are among the party leaders present at this rally.

The chairman of APC National Campaign Council, Ondo Governorship Election, Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu appreciated the people of Ondo State, appealing to them to vote for the party in Saturday’s election.

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Ganduje on his part also wants Ondo people to vote for continuity and political uniformity in the South-West region.

The contestant, Governor Aiyedatiwa promised to continue in the footsteps of development laid down by past eminent leaders of the state.

He expressed assurance that the APC will win the election in all the 18 local government areas of the state.

The highpoint of the rally was the presentation of the APC flag to Governor Aiyedatiwa and his running mate, Olayide Adelami by the national chairman.

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Governor Aiyedatiwa has been to all the 18 local government areas of Ondo State to campaign before concluding it in Akure, the state capital.

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Trump, Biden Shake Hands In White House, Vow Smooth Transfer

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Donald Trump will make a triumphant return to the White House to meet President Joe Biden Wednesday, in the Republican’s first visit since departing under a torrent of scandal nearly four years ago.

Trump’s meeting with Biden comes as he moves swiftly to name his administration, including the world’s richest man Elon Musk as head of a new group aimed at slashing government spending.

Biden invited his sworn rival to meet in the Oval Office — despite the fact that 78-year-old Trump, who has consistently refused to admit his 2020 election loss, never afforded Biden the same courtesy.

Biden, 81, is expected to urge a smooth transition of power in the encounter at 11:00 am (1600 GMT) — and push for continued support for Ukraine.

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“He believes in the norms. He believes in our institutions,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday when asked why Biden was inviting Trump.

“The American people deserve this. They deserve a peaceful transfer of power.”

However, in a break with protocol, Trump’s wife Melania “will not be attending today’s meeting at the White House,” her office said on X.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Biden would go over top foreign policy issues when he meets Trump — including US support for Ukraine against Russia, which Trump has indicated he will end.

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The meeting may be a bitter pill to swallow for Biden, who branded Trump a threat to democracy.

The Republican leader of the House, Speaker Mike Johnson, said Trump may also visit the US Capitol, which a mob of his supporters stormed in 2021 to try to reverse his election loss.

Trump’s party looks set to take both chambers of Congress and consolidate his extraordinary comeback.

Tradition restored

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Biden’s Oval Office invitation restores a presidential transition tradition that Trump tore up when he lost the 2020 election, refusing to sit down with Biden or even attend the inauguration.

Then-president Barack Obama had welcomed Trump to the White House when the tycoon won the 2016 election.

But by the time Trump took his last Marine One flight from the White House lawn on January 20, 2021, he had also been repudiated by many in his own party for having stoked the assault on the Capitol.

That period of disgrace soon evaporated, however, as Republicans returned to Trump’s side, recognizing his unique electoral power at the head of his right-wing movement.

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Trump enters his second term with a near total grip on his party and the Democrats in disarray.

He has spent the week since the election at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida assembling his top team, as the world watches to see how closely he sticks to his pledges of isolationism, mass deportations and sweeping tariffs.

Trump named Space X, Tesla and X boss Musk, and another ally, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, to lead a “Department of Government Efficiency (‘DOGE’)” — a tongue-in-cheek reference to an internet meme and cryptocurrency.

Musk’s out-sized influence within the Trump camp was underlined by multiple US media reports that the entrepreneur was accompanying the incoming president to his meetings with the Republican Party on Wednesday.

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Trump is moving quickly to fill out his administration, picking a host of ultra-loyalists.

Trump nominated Fox News host and army veteran Pete Hegseth as his incoming defense secretary. An outspoken opponent of so-called “woke” ideology in the armed forces, Hegseth has little experience similar to managing the mammoth US military budget and bureaucracy.

Trump named South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem — an ally who famously wrote about shooting her dog because it did not respond to training — as head of the Department of Homeland Security.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio is tipped for secretary of state, US media reported, while Trump has also confirmed Congressman Mike Waltz, a former special forces officer, as his national security advisor.

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John Ratcliffe, another figure who became prominent for defending Trump during his scandal-plagued first term, was named to head the CIA.

AFP

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Umahi Frowns At Slow Pace Of Suleja-Minna Road Construction

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The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has expressed sadness and disappointment over the slow pace and poor quality of the Suleja-Minna federal road construction, which has been ongoing for 14 years.

Despite reports of 84% completion, Umahi stated that the work executed does not match the reported progress.

Umahi’s comments came during a Town Hall Meeting and stakeholders’ engagement on the construction of the 1,068-kilometer Sokoto-Badagri superhighway in Minna, Niger State.

The minister emphasized the need for improved quality and speed in the project’s execution and added that all contractors handling federal government projects in Niger State will be invited for assessment.

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The Minister had passed through the Suleja-Minna Road to attend the meeting and express disappointment over the snail pace of work.

In addition to addressing the Suleja-Minna Road project, Umahi announced that the Federal Government is redesigning the Kano-Abuja Expressway. The new design will feature the use of concrete, which is expected to increase the road’s lifespan to between 50 to 100 years.

Governor Umaru Bago praised the value addition captured along the corridor of the road, particularly the irrigation potentials that the proposed 68 dams will avail farmers in the State. He also declared support for the choice of concrete in road construction.

Other stakeholders at the event raised concerns over funding and completion time of the projects.

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