By: IMO Thomas-Umuahia.
Former Senate President, Senator Adolphus Wabara, has said that Gov. Monday Okpebholo of Edo State, travel restriction and threat to the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, is an “executive rascality taken too far”.
It will be recalled that Gov. Okpebholo had last week, told Obi never to come into Edo State again without security clearance, warning that his safety is not guaranteed.
Senator Wabara, in a statement on Wednesday, made available to our reporter in Umuahia,strongly condemned the threat by the Governor, insisting that he lacks the constitutional powers to restrict lawful movement of any law-abiding citizen of Nigeria within the Nigerian state.
Senator Wabara, cautioned against executive overreach, noting that the Governor’s “provocative and unguarded utterance,” was capable of igniting ethnic tension between “the good people of Edo who Okpebholo misrepresented, and Obi’s hospitable Igbo kinsmen”, if not properly addressed.
The former Senate President reminded Governor Okpebholo that the Nigeria constitution “grants every Nigerian the inalienable right to enter, leave or reside in any part of the country without restriction.”
“In case the Governor has forgotten, let me kindly remind him that Section 41 (1) of the 1999 Constitution provides that:”Every citizen of Nigeria is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof, and no citizen of Nigeria shall be expelled from Nigeria or refused entry thereby or exit therefrom”.
“It therefore, smacks of executive impunity, power intoxication, political insanity and gross abuse of office for an elected Governor to exhibit such raw intolerable dictatorial tendency.
“Okpebholo’s threat is a shameful exhibition of his ignorance about the limits of his powers as Governor. Or could it be an advertisement of his limited knowledge of the provisions of the constitution apparently because of his manifest academic hollowness, and ineptitude? Wabara inquired.
The former Senate President accused the Governor of Edo State of flagrant violation of the Constitution and demanded from him, an immediate and unreserved public apology to Obi, and an undertaking guaranteeing Obi’s safety anytime he visits Edo.
“It’s regrettable that Gov. Okpebholo who should know better, having served in the Senate, has grossly violated the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“He should without delay, publicly apologize to Obi for the threat to his life.
“Public office holders should be civil, decorous and refrain from irresponsible vituperations capable of setting Nigeria on fire. They should be catalysts of national unity and cohesion, and not promoters of acts that widen the gaps in our fault lines”, Wabara advised.
The former Senate President,called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, “to restrain his APC Governors from reckless, indecorous and inflammatory remarks.”
Senator Wabara warned against profiling Nigerians because of their tribe, religion or party affiliations, as doing so amounts to “joking with fire”.
He further cautioned against any attempt to harass or intimidate the opposition into submission as activities for the 2027 polls gradually gather momentum.
“Nobody should push this country to the brinks through political overzealoussnes. The peace and stability of this country should be placed above political interests”, Wabara cautioned.
