The Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty Ewuare II, has addressed recent claims made by Senator Adams Oshiomhole regarding the monarch’s alleged opposition to Governor Godwin Obaseki’s candidacy during the 2016 gubernatorial elections. The clarification came during a visit from a delegation of the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, to express gratitude for the party’s recent electoral victory.
During the meeting, former Edo State Governor and Senator Adams Oshiomhole apologized to the Oba of Benin for supporting Obaseki’s 2016 governorship bid. Oshiomhole suggested that the Oba had previously warned him against backing Obaseki, claiming the monarch had cautioned him about handing over power to someone he believed might not perform well in office.
Oshiomhole, who initially supported Obaseki as his successor, had a well-publicized fallout with the governor in the lead-up to the 2020 elections, switching his support to another candidate. His recent apology seemed to suggest that he regretted ignoring the Oba’s alleged advice.
Former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, has declared that current Governor Godwin Obaseki is “politically dead” following the outcome of the just-concluded governorship election in the state.
Oshiomhole made the remark during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today while discussing the election results.
On Sunday, September 22, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the election. Oshiomhole said the result reflected the will of the people of Edo State.
When asked about his reaction to the controversy surrounding the APC candidate’s victory, Oshiomhole dismissed concerns, reaffirming that the election outcome was a clear expression of the people’s choice. He suggested that Obaseki’s political influence has significantly diminished in the state.
He said: “No, the acting chairman of PDP talked about defending votes with his blood, because Edo people will sacrifice their blood for anybody.
“We subscribe to President Jonathan’s school which says the election of even a president is not worth the blood of any Nigerian. And you have the PDP national chairman who is acting with all the crises around the status talking about bloodbath for election.
“You have Obaseki, I watched him on Channels insisting it was do-or-die. And when you asked him, he said, if they did, then they would be dead. Now the people have done it. I guess he is politically dead.
“The people have decided that Monday who was elected last year as a senator, has been elected; and now has been declared the governor-elect. They now understand if a man can speak like the King of England, but can’t build classrooms and their children are sitting on the floor, where is the value of the English?
“If you have signed millions of MoUs, brought all manner of consultants, even though you are one of the consultants anyways. The hospital that was built by Governor Oshiomhole you converted it to a private hospital. You ran it by consultants and only the rich can go there. The poor have been forbidden from going there. You demolished the other side of the hospital and replaced it with a museum. You think the poor are stupid?”
NAIRALAND
