Don’t go to tribunal, Edo CPC urges Airhiavbere

[MrVan]

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

BENIN—EDO State chairman of Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Mr. Godwin Erhahon, has advised Peoples Democratic Party's, PDP, governorship candidate in the July 14, 2012 gubernatorial election, Major Gen. Charles Airhiavbere (rtd), not to allow himself to be used by political opportunists and those who want to take advantage of him to derail the gains of democracy in the state.

Speaking with Vanguard, weekend, in Benin on the decision of the state PDP to challenge the outcome of the last governorship election at the tribunal, Erhahon said, "I believe that people are trying to take advantage of him again because I am convinced that those who urged him to go to court are looking for an opportunity to be relevant before Adams Oshiomhole and Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, as they will eventually defect to ACN and abandon him in the struggle.

"My advice to Airhiavbere is that he should not allow himself to go through a second disgrace because by the time he goes to the court and loses, that defeat will be celebrated once again.

"If he allows himself to be portrayed as an enemy of the people, he may not have the courage to come out for another election. For sure, the PDP people who urged him to go to court are doing so out of desperation, because they want to be relevant so that they can be attractive to Oshiomhole."

On the governor's qualification, which he said was being talked about, said that Section 177 (1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended did not say that anybody contesting for political office must hold the  Secondary School Certificate as a minimum qualification.

He said, "Section 177 (1) of the Constitution says you must be educated up to the Secondary School Certificate level. And if somebody holds a Modern 3 Certificate and he has worked for over ten years, he is deemed to have been educated up to Secondary School Certificate level."

Vanguard Nigeria