Oshiomhole warns appointees on 2016 guber polls

(Nigeria) Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has warned political appointees in the state to shun the politics of who becomes Governor of the state in 2016 and devote themselves to service delivery.

Speaking Wednesday at the swearing-in of Mr. Chris Okaeben as the state Commissioner for Youth and Sports, he said any appointee who wants to join the gubernatorial campaign now, before Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC blows the whistle, “can be excused.”

He said: “It is not time to discuss the politics of 2016. By the grace of God, I look forward to handing over by that date. That is a long way to go and only God knows among all of us who would be there. That is why I want to repeat my appeal that this party is not about gubernatorial candidate. It is much more than that.”

The Governor who said it is too early in the life of the present administration to be plotting about who takes charge in 2016 to the detriment of governance said “we must not forget that we must use the current mandate in such a way so that we can earn the opportunity to preside. We must never subordinate governance to politicking. To do so is to abuse the trust the electorate has placed on us and above all it would be tantamount to taking the electorate for granted”.

He continued: “Let me say even those who want to contest election in 2015, they must never forget that the only official justification and accepting reason for seeking office is to use it for service delivery. And that being so, we must not pursue tomorrow’s mandate at the expense of the existing one. We must find time to address the imperatives of 2015 and yet offer good governance to the people of the state.”

He said: “conscious of the fact that time is of the essence, we must devote every minute of our time to think, reflect, strategise what we must do differently to continue to put PDP to shame and to continue to uphold the values of our party which is service delivery to our people.

Warning those poised to kickstart gubernatorial campaigns far ahead of schedule, Oshiomhole said: “anyone who wants to devote his time to gubernatorial campaigns can easily be excused.”

On the commissioner being sworn in, Oshiomhole said: “Comrade Chris is joining us at a time when we have to make a critical balance between our primary mandate which is the primary purpose of politics and politicking. To find sufficient time to deliver convincingly to the good people of the state. The reason why we seek power is not for its own sake, not to be addressed as the Comrade Governor, or Commissioner.

“It is that this and other offices are used collectively to improve the quality of life of the people

He charged the commissioner “you do have enormous challenges in your hand. The immediate challenge is to reposition our sports and making more investments in sporting activities in the state including the primary and secondary schools, reinventing the Principal’s Cup.

“You have to reinvent the Bendel Insurance Club. We have currently put in place an Interim Management Committee in our search for answers. We have not done too well in this area. Now that we know that we have not done too well, we have to work harder to do much better tomorrow” he advised.

“I want you note that a people can be down three dacades the way Edo was down and dismissed five years ago, but with a fighting spirit they can rise again. Let it be said that before you Bendel Insurance was where it was and under you it has moved and surpassed other clubs exactly the same way that Edo State was once the laughing stock and today things have changed and they are changing”, he remarked.

Responding, the new Commissioner said the appointment is a call to duty and a call to drive a process adding that his appointment was a great honour and pledged to contributed his quota to uplift the state.