Share!
Ahead of the September 29 governorship election in Edo State, the rivalry and bickering between Adams Oshiomhole, the former governor of the state, and Godwin Obaseki, the incumbent governor and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have continued to hit up with recent accusations and counter-accusations raised against each other in the state.
Oshiomhole had said he made a grave mistake supporting Obaseki in the 2016 governorship election in Edo, claiming that the governor used every obnoxious means, including the destruction of properties and unwarranted arrest of members to destroy the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state.
“The governor was demolishing the houses of our members while some were being jailed on trump-up charges. These were the people who fought for him to become governor,” he said on Saturday at his country home in Iyamho, Estako West local government area of the state.
“I begged those who were being persecuted to take it easy, that they shouldn’t burn the house we all laboured to build because we want to smoke out the snake and now, the snake has been smoked out of the house.
“Few weeks earlier, the snake said APC was his house and that he was not leaving, but less than 72 hours after saying this, he left.
“If we had burnt the house because the snake was giving us problem, we will all have been homeless by now.”
The ex-APC national chairman also insisted that the state had not recorded any tangible development since he left as governor four years ago.
But reacting through his Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, the incumbent governor denied the allegations, while accusing the former governor of trying to use him (Obaseki) as a tool to defraud the Edo people and enthrone himself the godfather in the state.
In a statement on Sunday by Osagie, the PDP governorship candidate claimed Oshiomhole is angry because he refused to do the wishes of the ex-APC national chairman who is now backing Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamo, the APC governorship candidate.
“In 2016 when Oshiomhole nominated and supported Obaseki, his hidden motive was to use Governor Obaseki who he thought would be a pawn in his game to defraud Edo people and enthrone himself as the ultimate godfather of Edo politics at the expense of the will and wishes of the people,” he said.
“However, Obaseki’s refusal to mortgage the interest of the majority of Edo people for the satisfaction of the avarice of Oshiomhole and his handful of greedy followers is the cause of Oshiomhole’s bitterness which has led him to bury himself in pursuit of an innocent governor who is trying to do the right thing for his people.
“If Oshiomhole had made any mistake in supporting Obaseki in 2016, it is to the extent that he thought that the governor will submit himself as a tool to be used to hold the collective will and best interest of all Edo people hostage and for this Obaseki owes Oshiomhole no apologies because the interest of Edo people is and will always be greater than the interest of one man.”
