Oshiomhole's 'Funeral' By Erasmus Ikhide

YESTERDAY, I stumbled and listened attentively to Senator Adams Oshiomhole’s boisterous and shameful lamentation video, over his failure to hoist and foist his political poster child, — Hon. Dennis Idahosa — on Edo State All Progressives Congress (APC), during the primary ticket for Edo State Governorship election, slated for September 21, 2024.

To be candid, Oshiomhole’s unrestrained emotion on a national television over the painful collapse of his political hegemony in Edo State, and the rejection of Hon. Dennis Idahosa as the party’s choice for governorship candidate, is a political death sentence, as well as his political funeral. It was obvious from the very beginning that Oshiomhole’s infernal and devious underhand tactics are laced with malice and vindictiveness against the Esan people, regardless of the fact that his late wife, Clara was an Esan woman.

First, Oshiomhole begins his “Game of Throne” by stamping his despotic presence, coercive apparatus and power of repression by setting up an illegal Screening Committee headed by (Hon) Professor Julius Ihonvbere, with specific order to disqualify the likes of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and others from the race. Even Professor Ihonvbere couldn’t resist the temptation from the pocket tyrant to disqualify his own Comrade Friday and brother, who fought for the actualization of democracy in Nigeria: Professor Sylvester Odion Akhaine (SOA)

Oshiomhole’s disingenuous outing was like watching a slow-motion movie with its tormenting turns and tragic somersaults. His near vocal collapse; the muttering of disjointed and incoherent hate verbage against the Esan people, few minutes after his candidate’s total rejection by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at the State House Conference Hall, signposted Oshiomhole as a pathetic slim and a despicable spectacle to behold.

Those who know Oshiomhole for his inclination for self destruction, absolute biles and hatred for the minority in politics couldn’t have been more numb with revulsion over his status arrogance and his unqualified democratic credentials. His deficiency stems from being a creature of mere surfaces, completely bereft of studious and seminal interrogation of events. It has been suggested that his character flaws stems from acute anxiety and traumatic amnesia, leading to the forfeiture of his earlier political beliefs

Oshiomhole’s dismal appeal to the Presidency and APC leadership to support Hon. Dennis Idahosa’s candidacy, a gentleman to the core and a blazing performance in the House of Representatives, collapsed due to his brazenness and brigandage arising from his earlier uncouth disparaging of the same Hon. Idahosa as a fraudster (419) in 2015.

In 2016, to legitimize his political banditry, Oshiomhole literally destroyed Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s reputation and political career, only to return in 2020, to idolized him appropriately as a knight in shining armour and a charming gardener who will make Edo blossom, if elected governor of the state. Pathetically, Oshiomhole’s wayfaring blundering in politics is the revisionists subtle way of desecrating civil society and democratic ethos in order to cover up for their personal frailties and illicit wealth.

For Oshiomhole’s education, it should be noted that back-to-back democracy that excludes regional or ethnic considerations is a chalice poison that is meant for political backwater philosophers like himself. Nigerians are too enlightened and cosmopolitan for that gutter prescription because it is against demographic political balancing.

It’s common trite that if there is rotation of power among the constituents, it will underwrite and underline fairness, inclusiveness, justice, and equity. Turn-by-turn modified democracy is better than back-to-back modified democracy. Watching Oshiomhole on a national television saying that “turn by turn democracy kills fairness” shows that Nigerians and Edo people have been smacked into the jaws of a self important politician who has been chasing clout since 1999.

In Oshiomhole’s view, since the Tiv people in Benue State have taken possession of the Governorship of the state since 1999, due to their numerical strength and former Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State had been succeeded by his own tribe’s man, then Edo Central should perish the thought of Governorship since they don’t have the numbers! Oshiomhole didn’t disappoint as an ethnic champion from his minority conclave of Etsako. As Governor of Edo State, 85% of his political appointments were from the three Local Government areas of Etsako East, West and Central. Under his ethnic watch, the Vice Chancellors of Ambrose Alli and Iyamho Universities, two Ministers, Nigerian Ambassador, Senators, Deputy Governors, EFCC Board Members to mention just but few are all from Etsako. As far as Oshiomhole is concerned in Edo North politics, Owan West, East and Akoko-Edo Local Government Areas can have their days in the sun.

Therefore, it was soul lifting that a former governor in the Southwest who was famous for the alleged role he played in forcing Oshiomhole out of the office of the national chairman of the APC in 2020, was quoted just before the Edo rerun primary as faulting Oshiomhole’s role in supposedly wanting to force his choice on the state.

“Oshiomhole had attempted to eliminate some aspirants from contesting the primaries but failed.This is reminiscent of his high-handedness as national chairman when he manipulatively schemed Governor Godwin Obaseki out of the electoral process. That action led to the unfortunate loss of Edo State by the APC,” Dr Kayode Fayemi said in a statement issued just before last weekend’s rerun primaries.

The rustication of Oshiomhole and his subversive politics of theft and stealing of the people’s voices is a welcome development and should be celebrated. Politics of inclusivity should have no space for a detestable, self- centred, unfeeling, overweening, and divisive political villain. Oshiomhole is one of the most dangerous Nigerian politician alive that must be kept in check by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and lovers of democracy.

We have not forgotten his reckless verbal missiles about Southern Presidency during the initial preparations for the 2023 Presidential elections in Nigeria. It is therefore appropriate, to discuss about Oshiomhole’s ‘funeral’ because the man has simply bitten desperately more than he could chew in the recent democratic history of Nigeria; it is very sad that he has decorated himself as an enemy of genuine pluralistic democracy.

Ikhide can be reached via: ikhideluckyerasmus@gmail.com