02082020 - Miyetti Allah attacks Christain Elders, Afenifere, Ohanaeze over S/Kaduna Killings

PAGE 18— SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 2, 2020
Oshiomhole is back in Edo to campaign
ahead of the September 19 governorship
election in the state. What is your projection?
You are right that he is once again leading
the party in the state ahead of the
governorship election, and, if you recall, even
in the days of the PDP, he won in the 192 wards
in the 18 LGAs of the state for his party which
had never happened before. And he was not
popular for nothing; he was popular because
he built infrastructure: schools, hospitals,
markets, roads...name it.
He worked with the good, the bad and the
ugly to get results. He solidified the APC in
Edo, but, unfortunately, he didn’t know that
the man he was going to hand over to was
a snake in his cabinet. This man
pretended for eight years. The
company he was running had
collapsed. Oshiomhole brought
him, packaged him and said so
many good things about him to
Edo people because he wanted
to market him. But, little did
he know that the man never
meant well for him and
the people of Edo. Each
time I read that
Oshiomhole wants to
turn himself into a
godfather, and is the
reason he fights
Obaseki, I know
that is not true. All
Oshiomhole
wanted was for
him to carry on
with the
developmental
programmes
which he
started; to
bring party
men and
women
together, so
that the APC
will continue
to be a
household
name in Edo. You
can imagine, a
hospital that
Oshiomhole built
with tax payers’ money,
equipped, with this same
man being the Chairman of
the Economic Team when
the decisions were made,
Obaseki now came and
destroyed the legacies, refused to allow the
hospital to run three years after it was
commissioned by President Muhammadu
Buhari.
But for Covid-19 that forced his hands, the
hospital would have remained shut. Some of
us saw this earlier, and we told our boss, but
Oshiomhole did not observe him well enough.
Some of his (Obaseki) family members even
advised Oshiomhole not to pick the man as
his successor, but Comrade felt otherwise.
Shortly after he was sworn-in, he banned APC
leaders and party members from entering the
Government House and sent some leaders
who disagreed with him like Osakpawan
Eriyo to jail. He destroyed the houses of some
of them and, as we speak, he has continued to
threaten APC members in his cabinet.
All the while, Oshiomhole never knew that
the man had been envious of him and his
achievements, to the extent that he became so
blinded that he made to undo instead of
building on them.
He tried to destroy the structure of the APC
that was solidified during the Oshiomhole
•Ebegbulem
years by enthroning neophytes. Yet,
Oshiomhole was patient; pleading with party
members that Obaseki will change. For
instance, during the 2019 general elections,
Oshiomhole wanted to the APC to field strong
candidates capable of defeating those of the
opposition PDP...this man refused and rather
fielded weak ones, all of whom lost woefully
at the polls. In Oredo, for instance, where he
(Obaseki) comes from, Oshiomhole wanted
Osaro Obaze to run against Ogbeide Ihama
of the PDP, the incumbent House of
Representatives member, because he felt
Obaze is more grounded in Oredo, but the
governor felt otherwise. Oshiomhole was even
trying to save him from disgrace in his own
LG, but he insisted on a neophyte who
eventually lost woefully to the PDP candidate,
and that was how he (Obaseki) lost in his
polling booth, lost his ward, lost his LG during
the 2019 presidential election.
And, shortly after, he shamefully went to play
golf as if in celebration of Mr. President’s loss
at the poll. That was how the APC lost the
Oshiomhole knows
secret to Obaseki,
PDP’s defeat
—Ebegbulem, ex-APC leader’s spokesperson
•Narrates former principal’s tough battle to remove party from govs’ stranglehold
•‘Comrade was protecting Buhari while 2023 forces were plotting to oust him’
Hon. Simon Ebegbulem was spokesman for the
immediate past National Chairman of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams
Oshiomhole. Ebegbulem, who is presently Imo State
Commissioner for Special Projects, speaks on the
forthcoming Edo State governorship election and his former
principal’s tenure among other issues.
presidential and National
Assembly elections in Edo
South where the governor
comes from, while
Oshiomhole, who he
wanted to steer clear of
Edo politics, won Edo
North for Mr. President
and the APC.
That is why in the
state Assembly
election, Oshiomhole
put his foot on the
ground and rallied all
the people Obaseki
had offended, and even
brought in business mogul,
Capt. Hosa Okunbor, to rescue
the APC from total defeat. Oshiomhole
jettisoned the failed tactic of Obaseki and
made way for the APC to win all the 24 state
assembly seats. Even after that, he refused to
swear-in 14 of the members of the state
assembly who rejected his decision to foist an
unpopular member-elect, as Speaker, on
them.
During the 2019 APC primaries in Edo,
while Oshiomhole was trying to field strong
candidates, the governor (Obaseki), at the
party secretariat, in Benin, attacked me, and
asked me to tell Comrade that he was going
to ‘deploy the resources of the state to ensure
that’ he removed (Oshiomhole) him as the
National Chairman of the APC; that he will
stop him from stepping into Edo; of course, I
delivered his message to Comrade. It was on
that day that I found out that the man was
truly not the person that he claimed to be
before the Comrade and all those that had the
interest of the APC and Edo at heart.
The governorship election is less than two
months away, and Oshiomhole was seen
apologizing to the people of Edo for
misjudging Obaseki. What’s your take on
this?
Comrade is not arrogant, and is quick to
apologize if he feels he has wronged you. He
was doing that because Benin leaders had
warned him to be wary of Obaseki. I am happy
that the campaign is on now and the people
are fully aware that the four years reign of
Obaseki is total fraud.
ANAMBRA 2021: The contenders to watch
By Tony Nwankwo
A
s the race for Government House,
Awka, Anambra State, in 2021,
gathers momentum, it is necessary to
take a cursory look at the frontrunners. Since
the era of Chris Ngige, Anambra State has
played a pivotal role in the governorship of
Igboland. Meanwhile, the field is already saturated,
as serious contenders are already taking
positions in their quest to occupy Agu Awka
next year.
Prof. Chukwuma Soludo
Thisformer Central Bank of Nigeria governor
is the APGA choice. APGA has run the
state throughout this democratic dispensation.
Yet on October 9, 2009, the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, chose Soludo as their consensus
candidate in a field of about 47 candidates.
His bid however failed following an inconclusive
primary that ended up with court injunctions.
The experience of Prof. Soludo garnered
over the years is yet to be exploited on the home
front in Anambra. Depending on which side
you are in Anambra politics, the Soludo baggage
could be a factor as the race for 2021
rolls over in Anambra.
*Ike Oligbo
*Ifeanyi Uba
ambra State. As a new man in the politics
of the state, Ike Oligbo carries no
baggage in this quest and if opinions
in the state is anything to go by, he
remains among the most trusted politicians
in Anambra State.
Amb. Vincent Ike Oligbo
Since he made public his intention to move
into Agu Awka in 2021, this international security
expert has not ceased to amaze the grassroots
in Anambra. While other contenders were
still weighing their options, Oligbo put his resources
on ground, building party offices in
local governments and ensuring that his party,
the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had a
head start in the quest for the Government
House in Awka. As if that was not enough, this
neophyte in Anambra politics, put his hat in
the ring early enough. His commitment and
love for the people was clearly visible during
the upsurge of coronavirus in the country. He
was in the forefront to provide palliatives to
cushion the effects of Covid-19 on the people.
Using his well-funded Hon. Amb. Ike Oligbo
Foundation, he created awareness and sensitized
the people on the pandemic, beginning
from the launch at Eke Awka on April 1, 2020,
providing Covid-19 preventive kits which included
facemasks, sanitizers and hand gloves.
Again, the medical team of his Foundation,
were present in 21 local governments in An-
Uche Ekwunife
An experienced politician and a veteran
in governorship contests in Anambra
State. In 2007, Iyom, contested
under PDP for Njikoka/Anaocha/
Dunukofia Federal Constituency and
won. Again, in2010, she contested for
the governorship position of the state on the
platform of Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA),
while still a member of the House of Representatives.
She was the first woman to kick-off
Covid-19 awareness campaign in the state,
providing preventive kits,and later other palliatives.
Meanwhile, the gender issue and the
zoning issue in PDP could be an issue in her
quest for Government House, Awka.
He tried to destroy
the structure of the
APC that was
solidified during the
Oshiomhole years
by enthroning
neophytes
He promised the people on the Gelegele
seaport, but, today, if you go to Gelegele, you
will not see a single block while billions of
Naira of tax payers’ money, as claimed, has
been spent on the project. He promised 200,000
jobs in four years, but contrary to that he has
made more people jobless in Edo, because he
sacked thousands of people who Oshiomhole
empowered, particularly youths. He brought
in foreigners who are getting richer while the
natives are getting poorer.
So, I am happy that we have a governorship
candidate today, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu,
who is a guru when it comes to the politics of
the state, and who comes from a well respected
family in Benin Kingdom. If you may know,
his father was Esogban of Benin Kingdom.
He understands the vision of the APC, being
one of the founding members of the party. He
was APC Deputy Vice Chairman South-South.
There is no place for Obaseki. Ize-Iyamu
will not only bring back jobs meant for the
people of Benin Kingdom, but also for those
of the two other senatorial districts. You could
see that since his emergence, the APC in Edo
has been rejuvenated and that is why you see
the mass resignation from the government of
Obaseki. What Obaseki failed to realise is that
Oshiomhole has institutionalised APC in all
the nooks and crannies of Edo.
Continues online at vanguardngr.com
Ifeanyi Uba
Currently,a senator of the Federal Republic,
Uba can safely be described is a veteran of
governorship contests in Anambra State. He
contested under Labour Party in 2013 and
failed. He tried under PDP in 2017, unsuccessfully,
before decamping to APGA. He was however
successful following his contest for the
Senate on the platform of YPP. He has since
indicated interest for the governorship contest
for 2021. He lacks political flair, but has proven
to be no pushover, as he defeated some
known political giants on his way to the Senate.
Ifeanyi Uba has so much baggage as he
leads his contest for Agu Awka in 2021.
Godwin Maduka
Maduka is a well known name in the politics
of Anambra State. A philanthropist, he has
proven that he can hold his own. He joined
PDP from APGA in 2019. His movement to
PDP was celebrated as he went along with
many of his supporters. While being new in
political statecraft, Maduka has no known
baggage. He was outstanding during the early
lockdown in Anambra State, providing palliatives
like rice,face masks, sanitizers, etc. to
all the 181 communities and 326 wards in
Anambra State.
Tony Nwoye
A political jobber who has been in the scene
for a long time. Nwoye has lots of political
baggage. He has contested for governorship
twice under the platform of PDP (2013) and
APC (2019), respectively, and failed in both
attempts. He is currently a member of APC
but he has an arduous task to replace Governor
Willie Obiano, with both coming from Anambra
North.
As we look to the future of Anambra politics,
it will be interesting as politicking thickens, to
know who succeeds Obiano at Government
House, Awka. It is important to note that although
Anambra is just a state in the South-
East, its politics and who emerges governor in
the State is the major poliical talk in the zone
and in Nigeria generally.