Edo State Commissioner for Information, Kasim Afegbua, has described former Anambra State governor Peter Obi as “a problem to the politics of Edo,” claiming that crises tend to follow political platforms he associates with.
Afegbua made the remarks on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s current affairs programme, ‘Politics Today’, while reacting to the Tuesday’s attack on Obi and other leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Benin City, Edo State capital.
Obi and other top ADC figures had, on Tuesday, escaped an attack by suspected hoodlums during the formal declaration of Olumide Akpata into the party in Benin City.
However, speaking on the development, Afegbua said it was customary for the government to provide protocol and security arrangements to all visiting dignitaries, regardless of political affiliation.
“Is he the only former governor who has been visiting Edo? There are others who have come to attend one event or the other. Even the former Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, came recently, late last year, to attend an event, and the government extended the protocols due to him,” Afegbua said.
He added that former presidents, including Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, had visited the state in the past and were accorded due recognition and security.
According to the commissioner, the political atmosphere in Edo remained “volatile,” requiring caution from both political actors and the government.
“You don’t know who likes you, you don’t know who hates you. In politics, what you try to avoid is a situation where you become helpless. If you come to Edo and we provide you with security and anything happens, the blame will be entirely on us,” he said.
Afegbua also referenced previous visits by Obi to the state, alleging that crises occurred on both occasions. He claimed that internal wrangling within the Labour Party had followed the former governor into the ADC.
“Peter Obi is a problem to the politics of Edo because any party he belongs to is crisis, crisis, crisis,” Afegbua said.
“You see, you cannot be in a party, the Labour Party, create factions and all that, and then fail to resolve the crisis. You have now exported the crisis to another party, the ADC, members of which are essentially from the PDP and the Labour Party,” he added.
The commissioner warned against what he termed attempts to “pollute the political atmosphere of Edo,” insisting that any instability arising from internal party issues should not be externalised to the state.
