The Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomole yesterday stormed the Presidential Villa to complain to President Goodluck Jonathan over what he described as an attempt by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) to create a crisis situation in his state following the controversial conduct of his government in the local government elections held on April 20th.
Oshiomole, who briefed journalists after meeting with the president in his office, said he came to tell the president that members of his party tried to create the impression that Edo State had gone out of control, following alleged rigging of the local government election by the state government.
He also accused the police in the state of turning a blind eye to the activities of PDP politicians because of his insistence on justice for the killers of his late aide, Olaitan Oyerinde.
According to him, PDP politicians complaining about rigging in Edo State council election have no right to do so because rigging was their stock in trade, which he said he has now been able to put an end to.
“Well, the first question to ask is who is complaining? If an armed robber is complaining of being robbed, it is your choice as to how much weight to place on his complaints. The history of rigging election in Nigeria is as old as PDP. They have lived on it, they have perpetuated it, they have deepened it, they have feast on it, and they have even celebrated it.
Meanwhile, the PDP on Tuesday issued an angry response at Oshiomole for allegedly calling its members “rogues,” saying that the PDP has no room for his likes.
The National Publicity Secretary,Chief Olisa Metuh who was speaking on the statements of the governor against the party, disclosed that it was curious that after having failed in his spirited efforts to beg President Jonathan to allow him to contest for second term on the PDP platform, Oshiomole is now coming to the realization that the PDP was peopled by rogues.
He said, “Ask him how many times he was crawling before the President in the villa for him to come over to the PDP to run on the ticket of our party which was turned down. We are people of honour and good characters in PDP,we don’t want his likes in our fold, anybody can be a governor, but what matters most is the character,all our governors are men of impeccable characters any day, anytime, anywhere.
“We will never accept him,we thank God that we didn’t make the mistake of accepting him into our fold in the first instance.”
He also spoke on the rumoured sudden resignation of the National Chairman of the party, Alhaj Bamanga Tukur, saying that he was not aware of the development.
The Wadata Plaza National Secretariat of the party had been agog with rumours of Tukur’s resignation on Tuesday.
However one of his associates confided in this correspondent that he spoke with Alhaji Tukur on Monday night during which he told him that he would be travelling to Canada in Tuesday(yesterday) and that he had actually gone to Canada as scheduled.