Assembly Crisis: I’m Not Edo Godfather — Oshiomhole

National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday, faulted a report claiming that he has constituted himself as godfather of Edo. Speaking to State House reporters in Abuja, he said those accusing him of being the godfather of Edo should produce evidence.

“I am a democrat. That I accept the credit, not only that I fought godfatherism, I launched the one man, one vote campaign to fight against election rigging anywhere in Nigeria and by the special grace of God under PDP with Anenih alive, and at his best, I won all the 18 local government areas and I won 95 percent of the total votes cast in my second term election. “So, Edo people know me and I know them. I don’t need shortcut to sustain my position in the system. But you know that there is nobody in Nigeria who is not open to accusations. The important thing is that he who accuses should give you evidence,” he said. He described the political scenario in Edo as celebration of rule of law, saying “how can I be a governor physically presiding over people who are more endowed than me? “But with the law on my side, people take a bow because the law protects me. So it’s about rule of law.

You know the law provides for how the House should be proclaimed transparently the day it’s announced. Members-elect are informed of date and time for inauguration. These are clearly spelt out in the Nigerian constitution,” he said. Recalling how President Muhammadu Buhari proclaimed the National Assembly, he said the president issued it, “because he is obliged by the constitution to do so, whether he likes it or not and he did.” “He did it transparently. He has led us by example. For me, it’s very embarrassing if any state governor, particularly of APC extraction, will do anything that is less than what the constitution says and the example that our president has set.

“So, you know that what happened in Edo was that they did not publicize a proclamation letter; the members were not informed, they did the inauguration at 9:30pm in what in a Supreme Court judgement call nocturnal hours. “Business of parliament is done transparently; they are not secret cult. Now, you have a 24-member House: 19 members protested. You have six and you carry people in their short knickers. Even in the House they have rules, the dress code. So, it happened in Edo, it has happened in Bauchi.