By Adesina Soyooye
Adams Oshiomhole, a former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has been dismissed as a man without honour, a known liar, and an unstable character by Senator Dino Melaye, the Spokesperson of the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council.
Melaye spoke Thursday evening in an interview with Channels Television, where he obviously responded to the contents of an interview granted the Television Station by Oshiomhole two days earlier.
In the interview, Oshiomhole, known for his legendary foul-mouth, had dismissed the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, as a serial betrayer and a serial divorcee. A serial divorcee, Oshiomhole said, who cannot manage his household, cannot speak of unity and family, and so cannot manage Nigeria.
Stung by the personal attack hauled at Atiku, Melaye, Spokesperson for the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council, also attacked Oshiomhole’s person as well as that of his Principal, the Presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Melaye: “If Oshiomhole has honour, he ought to have resigned as Deputy Director General of Asiwaju/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council after series of shameful revelations of reported allegations touching on the integrity of the APC Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
He also said that “the Presidential candidate of the APC lacks antecedents that will showcase him as a believer in a truly united indivisible Nigeria.”
Melaye, also noted that nobody takes Oshiomhole, a former two-term Governor of Edo State seriously. He reminded Nigerians how Oshiomhole was sacked and disgraced out of office as the National Chairman of the APC. He also recalled that Oshiomhole is a reckless liar, known for manufacturing false stories, and who is known for character assassination.
As an example, he cited the case of a former Edo Governorship candidate of the PDP, and later of the APC, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, whose character Oshiomhole assailed only to publicly apologise later, and explained that he lied and was only playing politics. At the time, Oshiomhole had called Ize-Iyamu an impostor, a fake Pastor, said he did not graduate, called him a cultist who was expelled from the University of Benin for throwing acid on a fellow student, and a treasury looter.
Taking him on for calling Atiku a serial divorcee, Melaye said Oshiomhole should explain to Nigerians the whereabouts of his “imported foreign wife”.
On Oshiomhole’s outburst, Melaye posited that the former Labour Leader is distraught by the growing popularity of the PDP Presidential Candidate and has, therefore, embarked on hauling insults against the person of the candidate.
Dino: “This can only explain why the former APC National Chairman, who was disgraced out of office, continues as a chattering roller coaster and a musical chair politician, who specializes in making unfounded comments and inventing fictitious claims against others just to draw undue attention to himself.”
On Oshiomhole’s lies against Ize-Iyamu, Melaye noted: “Nigerians can recall how Oshiomhole, in 2016, described Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as an impostor, a fake pastor, rusticated student, a career dropout, acid bath assailant, liar, treasury looter; an incompetent and questionable character, who is only good for night meetings and not fit to be the Governor of Edo state, only to turn around in 2020 to state that these damaging allegations were mere political statements.”
Melaye, also, urged Oshiomhole to discuss serious issues instead of descending to the gutter.
Melaye: “Nigerians expect Adams Oshiomhole to note that the presidential campaign addresses serious issues and is not a platform for throwing tantrums and irresponsible commentaries.
“In that regard, Nigerians are not ready to accept such an apparent HPD attitude from him towards the nation’s preferred leader, Atiku Abubakar.
“In any case, Nigerians will not be surprised to see Adams Oshiomhole turning around at Atiku Abubakar’s inevitable victory and inauguration on May 29, 2023, to condemn Asiwaju Tinubu and declare his current unsavory comments against Atiku Abubakar as mere political statements.
“If Oshiomhole has honour or means well for this nation, he ought to have resigned as Deputy Director General of Asiwaju/Shettima Presidential Campaign after series of shameful revelations of reported allegations touching on the integrity of the APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Our campaign holds that contrary to the garments of unity which Oshiomhole is forcing on Tinubu, the Presidential Candidate of the APC lacks antecedents that will showcase him as a believer in a truly united and indivisible Nigeria.”
Continuing, he said: “It is imperative to note this accounts for the discussion gaining traction in the public space where Asiwaju Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate, is alleged to be plotting the relocation of the Federal Capital from Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, back to Lagos, despite denials by his campaign.
“Moreover, Oshiomhole is not in any position to preach about matrimonial competence and sanctimony as he has not explained the whereabouts of his imported foreign wife to Nigerians.
“It is important for Oshiomhole to note that Nigerians have moved beyond Tinubu as they have already attained consensus across the political, ethnic and religious divides to vote in Atiku Abubakar as a pan-Nigerian and unifier that will rescue our nation from the shambolic rule of the divisive, insensitive and corrupt APC.
“Of course, Nigerian have come to a consensus that our nation needs a visionary leader, like Atiku Abubakar and certainly not a bat with its inadequacies, specie inconsistencies and aversion to light.”
The Presidential Election holds in February, 2023. It is seen as a three-horse race between Atiku, Tinubu and the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.
