Charles Idahosa served as the political adviser to former Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. In this chat with reporters ahead of his 66th birthday, he attributed the unending feud between Governor Godwin Obaseki and his godfather, Oshiomhole, who is the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to envy and jealousy. He said any attempt to deny Obaseki a second term ticket would spell doom for the party in the state. He also spoke on other sundry issues. Our correspondent, ONAZENA ABBEY was there.
How do you feel at 66?
I want to thank the press; I am one of you. I am a veteran, having practised journalism both in England and here (Nigeria). In England, I practised print journalism and here, I went into broadcasting and 66 years is a beautiful time. I have no regrets. If I have to live my life again, I will live it the same way. There have been a lot of disappointments, betrayals here and there from people but thank God, I am alive. There are threats here and there; you know politics, people are planning to do many things. I have had threats of assassination. I have been attacked for my beliefs, but one thing you must know is that people fear the truth. When you say the truth, people just concoct all kinds of things.
Recently, an attempt was made on me here in this house. I didn’t want to make it public but this is an opportunity to make it so. I have conquered death. I am not scared and as far as I know, I am on the part of truth. And at 66, I have doubled the age of Jesus Christ, who the whole world is worshiping. He was 33 and I am now 66, so I thank God for that. I want to tell all the enemies that I am not scared. If you kill me today, you won’t kill me tomorrow. If you check my gate now, you will see it is riddled with bullets. I was pulling in one day; maybe my driver was too fast for them. By the time they closed the gate, bullets were flying everywhere. But, I was already inside and we were just watching. God is in charge.
Politically, I am happy that in a state of about four million people, I was an elected council chairman; I have been a commissioner and a member of the state executive council. I have been a special adviser. I have been chairman of a federal board. I have been Director General, Liaison Office. I tried Senate, I was pushed aside. I tried governorship, I was pushed aside. But I will give myself a pass mark.
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Only recently, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in an interview said Obaseki would need a miracle to win a second term. What is your take?
When he said that, I was a bit disappointed because the main issue between Obaseki and Oshiomhole has not been brought to the fore. Obaseki and Oshiomhole as far as I am concerned, are one. Obaseki is a creation of Adams Oshiomhole.
In that same interview, I read where he said he brought only one commissioner. I was disappointed because I knew he was lying. I have said before that Oshiomhole brought the deputy governor. He brought the Secretary to the State Government, SSG. He brought the chairman and the secretary of the party. All these are not hearsay.
The most annoying part of it is that they put the blame on the media because when Obaseki visited Oshiomhole in Iyamho, Oshiomhole attacked the press and accused it of being the one creating factions and servicing the factions. But I want to assure you that nobody can stop Obaseki from doing his two terms. I am behind him morning, night and day. Uhunmwonde people are behind him.
He said Obaseki is not carrying people along, I don’t know what he meant by that. But, I just discovered that this whole thing will not end now. If two friends are quarreling and you cannot settle the quarrel, there must be something behind it that nobody can talk about and that is envy and jealousy. It is not possible that two friends will be quarrelling and one of them will say it is because I am jealous and envious of him. Nobody will say so. What is happening is that Oshiomhole is envious and jealous of Obaseki’s achievements. There is no way he is going to come out boldly to say that is why they are quarrelling.
Oshiomhole was governor here for eight years and nobody challenged him. The ones that tried it, he messed them up thoroughly. He brought (Samuel) Ogbemudia and messed him up; he brought (John) Oyegun and messed him up. In the state expanded caucus of the party, he messed him (Oyegun) up thoroughly. I was there and in anger, I just walked away. Not to talk of Lucky Igbinedion or Chief Gabriel (Igbinedion), who were the ones that brought him with their resources. Obaseki has not opened his mouth to insult anybody or Oshiomhole.
How can Oshiomhole in an interview say Obaseki brought people with computer to be collecting revenue? Does he prefer a situation where some bunch of illiterates will use sticks and iron and be breaking people’s heads in the name of collecting revenue? Do you prefer that to the sanity at Ring Road now?
Oshiomhole said in one interview that there are four million people in Edo and he is just one individual and that when he leaves government, he will not intrude. But today, what is he doing? You said he should take care of politicians, how many are we? We are less than 20 per cent of the total population of the state. The people outside are happy. Today, you don’t see pensioners sleeping in the streets with mattresses; they don’t block roads anymore. Is that not enough to make him happy? As a national chairman, he has 36 states to supervise; you are more interested in Edo. Why do you want to continuously be the governor of Edo when you have finished your tenure?
When Oshiomhole came, 30 per cent achievement was a pass mark in the state. Edo South produced somebody, who scored 20 per cent and Oshiomhole managed to score 45 per cent. Obaseki within three years has scored 85 per cent with a year to go, so jealousy and envy entered.
I sympathised with the priest, who tried to settle them in the Anglican Church but until he agrees that he is jealous and envious, the issue cannot be resolved because Obaseki’s records are so intimidating. He has made Oshiomhole look ordinary. Go and see what Obseki is doing around the state.
It might interest you people to know that I was the first person that took Obaseki up. I did not only take on him, I also issued press statement where I suspended my membership of the party. That I don’t like the way he was operating. I called leaders across the state to my place; I don’t want to mention their names. I saw some of them; they are now with Oshiomhole with the exception of one. I told them we cannot allow Obaseki take on leaders the way he was doing. By the time I finished the meeting with them here, some recorded me, they went to Government House and collected money and they were warned not to come near me again. That was why I decided to take on him on my own. It was the same Adams Oshiomhole, who intervened between Obaseki and me. He called Governor Obaseki and myself to his house. The three of us sat down together and it was Oshiomhole, who begged me to withdraw my resignation from APC. Now, if he can convince me to stay, not to get angry with Obaseki, why is he finding it difficult to tell these disgruntled ones that are hiding with him in Abuja the way he managed me and I stayed. Why is he encouraging them? There is more to it. He wants to make sure he remains a lone star; no other star. So, that is my anger.
After Oshiomhole begged me, Obaseki did not really change. I went to his (Oshiomhole) house when I heard that he was in town and I told him he wass the one encouraging Obaseki to be discountenancing and treating leaders anyhow because he (Obaseki) is giving you (Oshiomhole) all the recognition you want and I told him from experience, when he is through with us, he will face him.
When Obaseki discovered that I was not relenting, he made the right move. He went to Ehor and met the Enogie of Ehor and Enogie stepped into it and after that, he called and I said if you want settlement, come to my house. I invited my people here and he came here, apologised to me and Uhunmwonde people. But some people say Charles Idahosa has been settled. I am too big to be settled because my wants are limited.
I have done my checks; the people are with Obaseki. We politicians are angry because Oshiomhole pampered us and this man is not ready to do that. So, is that why we must kill him? When the people who are the majority are with him, why should we be troubled?
Is it not a big shame that we who brought a candidate out are the ones now fighting him? Oshiomhole said he is his engine room; his plug spanner that can spark anytime. That he is his battery, his financial wizard, his brain box. Now what has happened? It is envy. The boy (Obaseki) is moving too much at a very terrible pace and he is not talking. You need to go round this town (Uhunmwonde) to see what he is doing. I spoke to my people and we said let us give him a chance because two leaders are not the same.
The deputy governor and the SSG are dye in the wool associates of Oshiomhole and for them to turn and give support to Obaseki; they must have noted many things that we don’t know.
I worked with Oshiomhole for eight years. He is my friend. He was very good at that time by listening to views and when your views are superior, he will agree but I don’t know what has happened now.
I was watching television the other day and I saw Benin Technical College, I could not recognize it. A critic of Obaseki the other time visited the industrial centre after I told him about it and when he came, he was amazed.
Oshiomhole said Obaseki is not empowering people. When Obaseki just came to government, every weekend was a chaos in the town. Public schools were turned to party centres. Primary school children will be writing exams; bands will be playing outside because people rented the primary school. Obaseki banned it. There was nothing they didn’t say. Do you know how many people have been empowered with the construction of event centres today? Is that not empowerment? Are people not making money? Go to the industrial centre and see people having access to 24 hours power supply and making their money.
Do you think that in the face of the current crisis, the party can win the forthcoming election in the state?
The state is still safe under APC. We will still win. One thing you must understand is that the politicians that are making noise now are not up to 20 percent. I want you to tell me that if you go out there, Obaseki is not popular. That is what I want to hear.
Look at EDSTMA (Edo State Traffic Management Agency) under Obaseki and when it was under Oshiomhole. Peoples cars were vandalised, screens smashed and thugs were all over the place in the name of many mushroom associations extorting money from the ordinary people. But now, we don’t have that kind of thing because Obaseki said he doesn’t want it.
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What is your position on the Edo assembly crisis?
Some people said Obaseki did not inaugurate the House and called on the National Assembly to take it over. Well, to their disappointment, APC won all the cases in court. To answer your question, the crisis will not affect the party. What you are seeing now is what is called the noise of a newspaper vendor. So, Obaseki will win because we are determined and the people are with him. As a party, we have 24/24 (members in the House of Assembly). Oshiomhole could not make 24/24. He scored twenty one. That 24/24 is a referendum on Obaseki. In truth, Oshiomhole was very popular but he could not make 24/24 in the House of Assembly. Now that we have 24/24, we are having problems with ourselves. It doesn’t make any sense. They accused the governor of doing wrong things bla bla bla. Look, I was Oshiomhole’s political adviser when we gave out money to remove the roof of the assembly. Which one will you take; removing roof of the assembly or inaugurating the House of Assembly in the evening or at night? Which one is better? Do you know how much it costs to replace those zinc?
So, what will be your reaction to the Port Harcourt court judgment?
I am not a lawyer, but I think it is clear enough. The man said there cannot be a second proclamation. If he does that, he will be extending the tenure of the assembly and Obaseki has no power to do that. That the National Assembly has no powers to instruct the police or the Department of State Service, DSS, to seal anywhere and that, only the court can instruct the National Assembly to take over the House of Assembly. As far as I am concerned, they should go on appeal. It is the rule of law but the House of Assembly is functioning. When Saraki’s (Bukola) case happened in 2015, Buhari did not issue a second proclamation.
Some persons have accused Obaseki of spearheading the revolt against the newly constituted Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Board. What do you say?
Former Deputy Governor, Dr. Pius Odubu, is eminently qualified to be the president of this country. He is eminently qualified to be chairman of NDDC. But the quarrel is the process; the lack of respect for a sitting governor from an oil state and an oil producing local government area. Why will he undermine a sitting governor, who is of the same party with him? You will appoint two people into NDDC without his input.
It is a season of birthdays and the other day somebody was doing his birthday and said until Oshiomhole came, Benin was a village. The same Benin that the Portuguese came in the 17th Century and said it was a city like any city in Europe and better than Lisbon.
What’s your take on President Buhari’s newly inaugurated Federal Executive Council?
You can see from all indications that Buhari means well. He has just inaugurated the Economic Advisory Council. That shows that he is really taking us to the next level. Don’t forget that it took him six months to form his cabinet the first time. But this time, within 100 days, he has done that and there are quality people there. He will do well.
