Edo: Oshiomhole Is A Bad Poster Boy For Ize-Iyamu

By Comfort Obi

I don’t know if the sacked National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole, was at the inauguration of the party’s Edo State Governorship Campaign Council led by Governor Abdulahi Ganduje of Kano State.

I am not, now, sure I saw his face in the few photographs published from the ceremony.

If he was present, it was a good thing his face was not shown. If he was not present, at all, that is great for the APC, and yes, for Oshiomhole. It shows he still has a little self esteem.

The reason is simple.

Oshiomhole is a bad advertisement for the party in Edo State. It is not good to flaunt his face, or credentials, at APC political events in the state, especially, when such events have to do with the campaign of the party’s candidate in the September 22 election.

Politicians are a different breed of human beings. They have a diabolical sense of humour. Otherwise, what would an Oshiomhole be doing in the Campaign Council for Ize-Iyamu’s governorship election?

When I saw the list of the members of the Campaign Council, I was amused by two names. Oshiomhole’s, and that of former National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

Oyegun was the gentleman, polished party Chairman who  Oshiomhole succeeded in a blaze of controversy and bad blood.

The former Federal super Permanent Secretary- turned-politician was humiliated out of office as party Chairman. He wanted a second term. Afterall, he had just led the party to victory at the National level. But he was forced to step down for Oshiomhole when he saw that the gang-up against him was huge and ugly.

Oshiomhole had the full backing of the Party’s National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to humiliate Oyegun out of office. At the time, I don’t know about now, Tinubu was a moving train in the affairs of the party. A moving train crushes anything on its part without pity. That was Oyegun’s fate.

Since then, Oyegun and Oshiomhole, both former two-time Governors, have not been political friends. It was no surprise, therefore, that when Oshiomhole fell out with Governor Godwin Obaseki, Oyegun stood like a rock behind the Governor. He  was vehemently against the inexplicable denial of a second term ticket to Obaseki.

Oyegun is not likely to  change his stand on Obaseki’s suitability for the state, and its people.

Oshiomhole, who was Obaseki’s champion, in 2016, has since turned full circle.

To help make Obaseki Governor, Oshiomhole ran Ize-Iyamu down no end. He called him names. A thief. A school drop-out. A cultist, who engineered the throwing of acid on a fellow student at the University of Benin, over which he was expelled. A fake Pastor. A corrupt man, neither fit, nor proper to be given a Councillorship   seat. And more.

At the time, Ize-Iyamu had just decamped from the APC to the PDP, and was facing Obaseki for the Governorship seat.

Oshiomhole was Obaseki’s Chief  Campaigner, and Chief Marketing Officer.

As Obaseki’s frontline man, Oshiomhole praised him to high heavens – A highly educated man who went to good schools. Brilliant man who helped set up banks. The man who helped raise money for my Governorship Campaign when I told him I had no money to run.

No longer.

In the past few months, Oshiomhole has been in an awkward and embarrassing  situation. He is swallowing his vomit from both sides – Obaseki’s and Ize-Iyamu’s. He has boxed himself into an untidy corner. And, not even Ize-Iyamu trusts him.

That is why I was amused when I saw  the names of  Oyegun and, especially, Oshiomhole on the list of the Edo APC Governorship Campaign Council.

Oyegun is not likely to campaign against Obaseki. Meaning that he would not also campaign for Ize-Iyamu, party or no party. He would keep a respectable silence and distance. So, why put his name on the Campaign Council?

But Oshiomhole’s case is the limit.

When he was appointed a member, I thought he was going to excuse himself from the ordeal of swallowing his vomit. The honourable thing to do, I thought, would have been to say: “Look guys, I am with you in spirit, but there is no way I can show face. Excuse me from it,” – especially, as he had just been sacked as party Chairman.

They would have understood. But he did not decline. If he did, it was not public.

In case Oshiomhole does not know,  his name is bad news for the Ize-Iyamu campaign. He is the most potent weapon the PDP has against his candidacy.

As pointed out earlier here, in 2016, he dismissed  Ize-Iyamu as not fit and proper to be appointed a Councillor. What has changed? He called Ize-Iyamu a thief . What has changed? He called him a cultist. What has changed? He said he was a school drop-out. What has changed? He called him corrupt. What has changed?

When Ize-Iyamu goes out on campaigns, these are the questions likely to be hurled at him. If Oshiomole is present, Ize-Iyamu would, of course, tell them he lied. In that case,  what will Oshiomhole do? Keep a straight face? Or bow his head in shame, and/or embarrassment? Or, “do bold face”,  take the microphone, apologise to Ize-Iyamu and the people by saying: “Sorry I lied in 2016. I was playing politics then. This man is a good man. I deliberately scandalized his name”.

Perhaps.

But where does that leave Oshiomhole? Who will believe him again? How will they trust him? Where lies his credibility? And integrity?

That is the problem with a number of Nigeria’s politicians. They have no shame. They speak from both sides of the mouth without a blink of the eye, and think nothing of it.

As I listen to, and watch the, now, viral Oshiomhole’s 2016 campaigns videos for Obaseki, and against Ize-Iyamu, on WhatsApp, I, at once, feel both shame and pity for him. I blush in embarrassment.

Whatever happened to our poster boy of yester-years? Our cerebral Labour leader who spoke truth to power?

Let me confess that I am a fan of the Comrade. I was sold on his courage as a Labour leader. I loved his grass to grace story. I rooted for him when he first contested for the governorship seat. I was sad when he lost at the polls. But celebrated when the Election Tribunal gave him victory.

He began well as a governor.  I applauded his campaign for one man, one vote. I applauded the death blow he gave to the politics of godfatherism in Edo. I clapped when he dealt with the godfathers.

But, soon , I began to blush at his manner of speaking. His brashness. His traits of dictatorship.

But, I always made excuses for him.

Then, he gradually unravelled.

He ran down, publicly, to the utter dismay of many, a couple of people who   helped him, in one way or the other, even from across party lines, to be Governor. But the greatest damage was his about-face on political godfatherism.

Both Oyegun and Obaseki insist the problem in Edo APC  stemmed from his wanting to re-institute political godfatherism in the state. They allege he had become an Emperor,  and desired to become the Asiwaju of Edo politics. Well, the ambition has suffered a set-back.

It is sad that Oshiomhole who started so well, whose political future was on the ascent, seem to have ended in this manner. It will always be said, of him, that he was sacked as the National Chairman of the APC.

It will always be said, of him, that as the National Chairman of a ruling political party, the party was so fictionalized it led to his suspension and sack. Oyegun ended better than him.

It will always be said, of him, that he deliberately assassinated the character of his fellow man –   Pastor  Ize-Iyamu for political gain. And, make no mistake about it, these have removed a chunk from Oshiomhole’s integrity.

But I believe he can rebuild himself.

Here is how.

Comrade Adams Oshiomhole should, for now, excuse himself from  political activities both at the National, and local State levels. He should not take part in his party’s governorship campaigns in Edo. If he does, he would only embarrass the candidate and the party. He is poison in this campaign.

I suggest Oshiomhole  takes a looooong holiday. He needs it. He deserves it. Eight years as a governor; from there, to the National Chairmanship of the party;  he needs a break.

And there is no better time to take that break than now.

*Obi is the Editor-in-Chief/CEO of The Source (Magazine), https://thesourceng.com.  Email: [email protected], [email protected]