I’m a political lion, I won’t return to Abuja until Obaseki is defeated—Oshiomhole

The immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, said on Saturday night he committed a major blunder bringing Governor Godwin Obaseki as his successor in 2016.

Oshiomhole, who stated this when he addressed supporters at his country home in Iyamho, Etsako West local government area of the state, added that APC got rid of the “bad heads” in its fold with the defection of the governor and his deputy, Phillip Shuaibu, to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The ex-Edo State governor insisted that individuals who were bent on destroying the APC in the state had been “smoked out.”

He also alleged that Governor Obaseki used every obnoxious means, including the destruction of properties and unwarranted arrest of members to destroy the party in the state.

Oshiomhole said: “The governor was demolishing the houses of our members while some were being jailed on trump-up charges. These were the people who fought for him to become governor.

“I begged those who were being persecuted to take it easy, that they shouldn’t burn the house we all laboured to build because we want to smoke out the snake and now, the snake has been smoked out of the house.

“Few weeks earlier, the snake said APC was his house and that he was not leaving, but less than 72 hours after saying this, he left.

READ ALSO: EDO: ‘The snake that entered our family home, God has driven the snake out to where he belongs’ —Oshiomhole

“If we had burnt the house because the snake was giving us problem, we will all have been homeless by now.”

The ex-chairman said his immediate task now was to ensure the victory of the party in the September 19 governorship election in the state.

He added: “I have come home for only one project, I am not going back to Abuja until the project is completed.

“I came back home not to rest, but to work. We are political lions, we must commit ourselves to returning Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu to Osadebe Avenue.”

He said the people should judge the present government with what they see and not what they hear.

“There have been no tangible developments since we left government, all they have to show for almost four years are MOUs and earmark projects while we had eye marks projects.

“This was how they brought the respected Vice President to Benin for the groundbreaking for an industrial park that we will never see. Same also goes to that of Gelegele Port,” the ex-governor concluded.

Oshimhole and Obaseki have been at loggerheads since 2019 over control of political machinery in Edo State.

The feud is believed to be the major reason behind the governor’s disqualification from the APC governorship primaries last month.

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