ABUJA – National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday, challenged those who lost out in the recent party primaries to emulate the comportment of President Muhammadu Buhari who lost three presidential polls before the 2015 success.
His admonition was immediately rebuffed by Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State who pooh-poohed Oshiomhole’s accusation of building a family dynasty.
He said whereas he was the only Okorocha in government or party of reckoning, the governor listed four persons he said were immediate relatives of Oshiomhole, serving in the Edo State government or with party tickets. This came as Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, Vanguard gathered, yesterday, appeased his lieutenants.
The governor, it was learned, has asked them to wait for a meeting of the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the APC being contemplated for this week before a final decision. Associates of the two governors, had positioned themselves in alternative political platforms that could be unveiled this week.
Speaking to journalists in Benin City, Edo State, shortly after a church service to mark the second anniversary of the Godwin Obaseki administration, Oshiomhole also denied recent reports that he visited Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in Europe.
“Once you have more than one aspirant, there will be a winner, but in a good democracy, if those who win govern for the good of all, everybody will be a winner.
“I think the people should just accept that there will always be a winner, that you didn’t win today does not mean you will not win tomorrow and there is no better example than the fact that our President, Muhammdau Buhari, lost three times, but he did not give up; in the fourth attempt, he won.
“There is a lot to learn from that, it is a long distance race, and only those who have capacity for long distance will venture into the business of politics, Oshiomhole said.” On his alleged visit to Tinubu in London, Oshiomhole said: “What am I going to do in London?
The truth is that when you are a leader and, as they say, the tree that bears fruit will always attract stones from those who want to pluck and those who are just hungry. ‘’Why will I go to London to see Tinubu when I can see him in Bourdillon?
And what are the issues between him and me that I am going to resolve with him? The leader of the party, who is the President of Nigeria, I have access to him anytime, so I don’t need to go to London, through the Queen, to reach my own leader in Lagos, it doesn’t make sense.”
Okorocha takes on Oshiomhole
Oshiomhole’s admonition was, however, rebuffed by Governor Okorocha who challenged the national chairman’s claims of probity in the discharge of his duties. He particularly challenged Oshiomhole’s assertion at a media session, last weekend, that the party stopped Uche Nwosu’s approval as governorship candidate in order not to create an Okorocha dynasty through his son-in-law.
In a statement articulated by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, the Imo State governor listed four persons he identified as Oshiomhole’s relatives in the Edo State government or with a ticket of the APC.
He said: “To say the least, Adams Oshiomhole is the “father of family dynasty or nepotism or “familiocracy.” Uche Nwosu is from Nkwerre Local Government, while Rochas Okorocha is from Ideato South LGA.
‘’They have no relationship aside from the in-law issue. The only relation of Governor Okorocha who is in his government is Ogechi Ololo from Owerri North.
She does not answer Ogechi Okorocha. There is no other direct or indirect relation of Okorocha in his government. So, as it stands now, Rochas is the only Okorocha running an election. “But Oshiomhole is the known family dynasty builder. And Edo State is the victim. In fact, he is the architect of ‘Familiocracy.’
Adams Oshiomhole is the National Chairman of APC and governor for eight years. “Rilwan Oshiomhole, his younger brother, is a Commissioner in Edo State Oil Producing Development Commission, EDSOPEDEC. Seid Aliyu Oshiomhole, another younger brother, is the House of Assembly candidate for Etsako West 2 State Constituency.
“Yakubu Oshiomhole is the Secretary to the Local Government Commission; Dr. Cyril Adams Oshiomhole is vying for the House of Representatives for Etsako Federal Constituency. “With all these, between Rochas Okorocha, whose only relation in government is Ogechi Ololo from Owerri North and Adams Oshiomhole who has the Oshiomholes in government or contesting positions, who should be accused of building a dynasty or running a “familiocracy”?
The Imo State governor also took offence at the conduct of Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, the chairman of the panel first sent by Oshiomhole to conduct Imo State primaries, declaring the former presidential adviser and Governor Oshiomhole of having formed an unholy alliance to derail Imo APC nomination process. Noting that Oshiomhole disbanded the Gulak committee and appointed a replacement panel, He said: “Alhaji Gulak didn’t wait to conduct the primaries.
He fled Owerri. And he told the world that he fled Owerri by 4:30 a.m. because there was a kidnap attempt on his person. The Secretary of the Committee, Henry Idahagbon from Edo State with seven other members who stayed behind, went ahead with the primaries and Uche Nwosu won the governorship primary.
“However, Comrade Oshiomhole told Nigerians that he had disbanded the Gulak committee and discarded all that came out of that committee and promised to set up a new one. In line with his promise, he set up another 13-member committee, led by Brigadier-General Ibrahim Agbabiaka.
“On October 6, 2018, the Agbabiaka Committee conducted the primaries and Uche Nwosu won that of the governorship. The Prof. Osunbor Appeal Panel also looked at the whole scenario and also declared Uche Nwosu candidate of the party.
These are our narratives. Let Adams Oshiomhole or Gulak contradict us. “A month after his first account of kidnap attempt, Alhaji Gulak began to talk about two million dollars bribe and other petty stories. It took him a whole month to remember the bribe angle. He didn’t talk about the kidnap attempt again.”
