Former Media Adviser to ex-Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, Comrade Erasmus Ikhide has refuted the story that the camp of All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole gave him an advanced payment of N10m to wage media war against Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and his government.
He also refuted another subsequent troubling story that the Obaseki camp offered him N30million to dump Oshiomhole, headlined: “Obaseki’s Camp Offers Erasmus Ikhide N30m To Dump Oshiomhole,” all featuring in some sections of the social media.
In a rebuttal on Saturday to clear his name, Erasmus, human rights activist, journalist and publisher of Freepress.com.ng warned that he should not be dragged into the unfortunate political crisis plaguing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State.
Below is full text of his statement:
In the last 24hours, I have been inundated and attacked by internet madrasas and fraudulent political jobbers who engaged themselves in political business of mind manipulation to draw unwilling individuals into the unfortunate political crisis plaguing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State.
In the early hours of yesterday, my wife drew my attention to the malicious and fake story posted on a WhatsApp group chat by one Satty Ebhomien with phone number: 08061227596. The fake story came with a sweeping claim thus: “Erasmus Ikhide, a pen for hire has been engaged and paid the sum of N10 million, as first tranche payment to launch a media campaign against Governor Godwin Obaseki and his government.”
I don’t know who Satty Ebhomien is. All calls to his phone number have not been successful. The least I could do in this instance was to inform the security agencies as well as brief my lawyer for defamation and assassination of my hard earned reputation by an uncouth hireling going by the name Satty Ebhomien.
As if the fifth columnists haven’t dealt me savage blow sufficiently, another fake story levitates; this time claiming, “Obaseki’s Camp Offers Erasmus Ikhide N30m To Dump Oshiomhole.” Since then, I have received tens of thousands of calls from friends, some of which suggested that the entire nauseating media hysteria about my person may have been stage-managed for yet to be determined motive.
That’s the devil in the kitchen! I have nothing to gain from neither Oshiomhole nor Obaseki to debase the courage of my conviction or buy my conscience as being bandied around by jobless irritants. I’m not poor. The very poor are those in government who have nothing to their names other than dramatizing the facade of fraud and theft of public patrimony.
Strictly speaking, the compartmentalization of Edo State politics between Mr. Adams Oshiomhole and Mr. Godwin Obaseki is unduly misleading. The notion that anyone who is against Obaseki is for Oshiomhole or vice versa is narrowing the debate about governance structures in the state.
Both the latent and manifest actors behind the insidious squabbles between the godfather and the godson, who have now come for my jugular are the ones dying their attires a deeper indigo than the weeds of the bereaved.
Everyone knows that I have never hidden my reservations against Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and Governor Godwin Obaseki’s styles of politics. I made that point early enough in 2016 when I wrote, “Edo 2016: Clowns In Search Of Crown. I have nothing more to add, presently.
Now this: seeking to forcefully conscript me into the crystallizing media war that would not lead to job creation for the downtrodden or put food on the tables of the very poor masses is like seeking the bird that has flown. I will certainly make my position known in due course on the governorship tussle in Edo State because “the Man Died in him who keeps silence in the face of tyranny.” For now, I’m not available.
