Former Senate President Adolphus Wabara has criticized Monday Okpebholo, the governor of Edo State, over his recent statements cautioning Peter Obi against entering the state without a security clearance.
Wabara warned that the governor’s actions were “executive rascality taken too far” and that such statements are not only unconstitutional but also have the potential to inflame ethnic tensions and jeopardize national unity.
“If Peter Obi wishes to come here, he should seek proper security clearance,” Governor Okpebholo declared in a recent tirade. Otherwise, we cannot be sure he will be safe. He will be held accountable if he suffers any harm here. I’m not kidding.
Senator Wabara strongly denounced the threat in a statement released on Wednesday, asserting that no state governor is constitutionally empowered to impose restrictions on the freedom of travel of any Nigerian citizen.
“Every Nigerian citizen is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof, and no Nigerian citizen shall be expelled from Nigeria or refused entry thereby or exit therefrom,” he advised, in case the governor had forgotten.
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Therefore, it stinks of executive impunity, power intoxication, political insanity, and egregious abuse of authority for an elected governor to display such an unconscionable authoritarian propensity.
The disgusting display of Okpebholo’s ignorance of the boundaries of his authority as governor is demonstrated by his threat. Or is it an advertisement for his evident intellectual incompetence and hollowness, which would explain his poor understanding of the constitution’s provisions?
Whether the governor’s actions were the result of intentional abuse of authority or “academic hollowness and ineptitude,” the elder statesman further questioned.
Wabara’s actions went beyond simple censure. In addition to a formal assurance of his safety in Edo State, he urged that Governor Okpebholo provide an immediate and unconditional public apology to Peter Obi.
He added, “It is unfortunate that Governor Okpebholo, who ought to know better, has flagrantly violated the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s constitution after serving in the Senate. He ought to immediately apologize to Obi in public for threatening his life.
Holders of public office ought to be polite, courteous, and abstain from reckless vituperations that could ruin Nigeria. They ought to encourage activities that strengthen our fault lines rather than acts that exacerbate them.
In addition, the former Senate President attacked the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying it was stifling opposition voices more and more and attempting to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.
He reminded Obi of a similar instance in which Hyacinth Alia, the governor of Benue State, warned Obi and requested President Bola Tinubu to “call his governors to order.”
He stated that those holding public office ought to be polite, courteous, and free from reckless vituperations that could burn down Nigeria.
Wabara went on to caution against the ethnic profiling of Nigerians, stating that it seriously jeopardizes peace and stability.
He issued a warning: “No one should use political fervor to drive our nation to its breaking point. Above political interests, this nation’s peace and stability should come first.
