Edo State Government warns property owners of seizure of properties over land use charges
Barely 24 hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lifted the ban on election campaigns for the September 21st governorship election in Edo State, Governor Godwin Obaseki has issued a stern warning to property owners in the state.
Obaseki has vowed to use the Edo Geographic Information Service (EdoGIS) to sanction property owners over the non-payment of land use charges. The governor has directed residents and property owners to pay their land use charges associated with properties under their ownership/occupation within 30 days to avoid enforcement actions by the state authority.
The managing director of EdoGIS, Mrs. Osaro Grace Aihie, stated that the enforcement actions may include seizure of properties, imposition of penalties and interest, and institution of legal actions to recover the debts.
This directive by the governor has raised alarm among residents of Edo State, who believe the move is targeted at opposition party members in the state to prevent them from openly supporting their preferred candidate in the upcoming governorship election.
A prominent property owner in the state, who preferred anonymity, decried the planned action, describing it as a pretentious but vindictive onslaught against members of the opposition in the state. The property owner alleged that the governor has devised this tactic, among others, to compel the electorates to vote for his party’s candidate, Asue Ighodalo.
Edo residents have vowed to consign the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its current government, led by Godwin Obaseki and his associates, to the dustbin of history in the September 21st governorship election.
As the political tension heightens in Edo State, the residents have called on the public, respected leaders of the state, and the Oba of Benin to prevail on Governor Obaseki to shelve his planned action against property owners, who have always paid their land use charges without any hindrance or harassment.
