More than six months after he was re-elected for a second term in office, Edo State governor Godwin Obaseki has failed to constitute a State Executive Council.
The governor has only announced the re-appointment of Osarodion Ogie as the Secretary to Edo State Government (SSG) since his inauguration in November.
Mr Obaseki’s action follows a similar trend flagged off by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 when he first assumed power as an elected leader. It took Mr Buhari over six months to set up his cabinet.
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With lack of political leadership in government ministries and departments, the nation’s policy direction and economy nosedived at those times.
Many state governors have since taken a cue from the president’s snail speed approach in forming governments. Yet the consequences of such decisions abound.
In contrast, then-U.S. President-elect Joe Biden began announcement of cabinet members barely 14 days after he was announced winner of the November 3, 2020 presidential election, despite the barrage of suits instituted against his election by Donald Trump and his supporters,Business Today reported.
Similarly, Boris Johnson barely waited hours before unveiling his cabinet after he was appointed British Prime Minister in July 2019, Al-Jazeera reported.
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But this is not the first time Mr Obaseki is delaying proper kick off of governance in Edo.
After his emergence as governor in 2016, he failed to immediately constitute his cabinet, claiming that the delay hinged on the need to sanitise the ministries and set up a template to enable commissioner’s work effectively under his administration.
While the constitution doesn’t stipulate a specific time frame for making cabinet appointments, it however mandates governors to appoint commissioners to oversee the affairs of ministries in the state.
Mr Obaseki has kept mum on the reason for the delay this time but there are indications that he is having difficulties appointing commissioners as he is torn between pandering to his allies who are now split between his former party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) or keeping faith with new allies in Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which gave him the governorship ticket.
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However, the appointment of commissioners is an integral part of the success of an administration, which should not be politicised.
Already, APC in Edo had faulted his failure to form a cabinet months after his second term inauguration.
David Imuse, the chairman of APC caretaker committee in the state, accused Governor Obaseki of going against his promise to constitute the state executive council in the first week of February.
“This is the first week of March; the governor’s inaction has not only crippled government’s business but demonstrated that he is a man whose word is not his bond. Edo cannot afford further delay; it is for the governor to make these vital appointments,” Premium Times quoted Mr Imuse to have said.
In Mr Obaseki’s defence, chairman of Edo PDP, Tony Aziegbemi, disclosed that the transition committee discovered irregularities in the government, forcing the governor to suspend the move to set up his cabinet.
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The governor has however not given an official reason as to why he is yet to set up his cabinet. Efforts by The Gazette to reach the governor for comments were unsuccessful. His aides did not respond when asked too.
Mr Obaseki had against all odds won his re-election bid in 2020 after dumping the APC for PDP.
His cross carpeting move followed his disqualification by a screening panel set up by the party to clear contenders for the party’s ticket ahead of the Edo State governorship election later this year.
Mr Obaseki was disqualified after he was alleged to have tendered a problematic academic certificate before the screening panel.
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However, Mr Obaseki at the September 19 Edo gubernatorial election, defeated APC’s Osagie Ize-Iyamu to re-emerge as the state governor in an election that was termed free, fair and credible.
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