The immediate past speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Alhaji Kabiru Adjoto, said on Monday he is set to release a three-hour documentary, “exposing the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole’s dark waters.’’
But the Oshiomhole camp said the former Edo governor has done no wrong. Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Monday, Adjoto said the documentary would be shown to the public on Jan. 30 in Abuja.
Adjoto, who described Oshiomhole as his long-time political confidant, said the documentary would expose Oshiomhole’s “dirty malfeasance in his days as governor of Edo State.
The APC chieftain said that the documentary was part of his planned nationwide campaign against Oshiomhole, who is currently the national chairman of the ruling APC.
Adjoto disclosed that the three-hour documentary highlighted some shady deals allegedly carried out by Oshiomhole in Edo’s Central Hospital contract and the N30 billion Benin Storm Water project.
The former speaker named other questionable projects executed during the Oshiomhole era as the airport road contract and some other transactions, handled by Oshiomhole at the tail end of his administration.
“The problem I have with Oshiomhole is not personal but a disagreement over reversal of initially professed democratic principles. “Every atom of principle he preached and benefited from is a sharp contrast to what he is championing today.”
Adjoto claimed that he had the backing of critical APC stakeholders, including seven governors, whom he said, had thrown their weight behind the ‘Oshiomhole must-go-campaign, which he said, would hit the streets soon.
Commenting on the forthcoming Edo APC governorship primaries, the APC chieftain reiterated that any team sent by Oshiomhole to conduct the primaries would be vehemently rejected. He said that the rejection of Oshiomhole was because the APC national chairman had been suspended from the party and that he lacked constitutional powers to preside over any affair of the party.
“Oshiomhole should be ready for a Zamfara showdown in Edo State if he makes any attempt to spearhead the primary process because he is behind the crisis bedevilling the party in Edo State.’’
He said that Oshiomhole’s suspension from the party had been ratified in his ward, local government and the state’s executive committee of the party.
The former lawmaker noted that the incumbent, governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, must enjoy the right of first refusal during the primaries, otherwise the process would be enmeshed in catastrophe.
He disclosed further that he would be meeting with notable traditional rulers in Oshiomhole’s senatorial zone, including the Otaru of Auchi, to inform them of the looming consequences that would face the “suspended national chairman of the party if he failed to retrace his steps.
“Without mincing words, the next few weeks will be very interesting.
“After the release of the Oshiomhole documentary, Nigerians would judge if he’s qualified to lead a party, whose principal trademark is fighting corruption,” Adjoto added.
He advised the four APC governorship aspirants against falling into what he called “Oshiomhole’s crafty political web’’.
Adjoto said he would meet with the aspirants to make them see reason to queue behind Obaseki for the common good of Edo people.
But reacting to allegations of fraud against Oshiomhole, a member of the Oshiomhole camp, Mr Henry Idahagbon, said that Obaseki and the current Secretary to the Edo Government, Mr Osarodion Ogie, should also be included in any fraud charge against Oshiomhole.
Idahagbon, who was Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice during Oshiomhole’s administration said that every project executed during Oshiomhole’s era was approved by Obaseki as the chairman of the administration’s economic team.
He said that the contracts cited by Adjoto were over 90 per cent completed by Oshiomhole before he left office, dismissing accusations against the APC national chairman as unfounded.
Edo State is set for governorship elections in August this year.