By Matthew Don
Adams Oshiomhole, National chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has said Governor Godwin Obaseki will be the real victim of the crisis rocking the Edo State APC.
He spoke to newsmen in Benin on Friday even as he reiterated that Obaseki’s deouty, Philip Shuaibu was instrumental to the crisis which he reasoned would consume the governor.
Oshiomhole also debunked reports that he was placed under house arrest, describing himself as the ‘he-goat’ of Edo politics.
Oshiomhole spoke at his Benin GRA residence, where Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, a new APC convert from the PDP, was presented to him by Hillard Etta, the national vice chairman (South-South) of the party.
There was a rally to receive Ize-Iyamu into the APC fold which held earlier at a venue different from the one police disapproved as the police banned political rallies in the state.
Oshiomhole was not at that rally, fueling insinuation that he was under house arrest. He said he was not at the Ize-Iyamu’s rally to keep the peace of the party.
However, Oshiomhole said he was not surprised he was the butt of attacks by some people in the party, saying like the proverbial he-goat, he will always be at the receiving end of the party’s crisis in the state.
He said: “I saw that they write a story from the Government House that I’m under house arrest. You can see, either way, they want to make me look like the proverbial he-goat.
“In the traditional Nigerian society, when the family child is sick, and you go and consult the traditional native doctor, he will ask them to sacrifice a he-goat, so that witches and wizards will not kill the child.
“On the other hand, when a baby is born or they are celebrating birthday or something good is happening to the family, they get a he-goat, they slaughter and celebrate. So, either way, the he-goat is in trouble.
“God knows my heart, and he will help me and he has been helping me. We will sustain the governance of this state under the APC, with Edo people as our principals and our ultimate employers, and to them, we are grateful for the support they have given us in spite of any weaknesses we have.
“Our party doesn’t believe in rigging, certainly not in this state. We have entrenched the culture of one-man-one-vote, and the name of the game is not threat, the name of the game is persuasion. That day, everybody is equal.”
Oshiomhole who blamed Shaibu for the crisis rocking Edo APC, however noted that Obaseki will be the real victim of the crisis. But he insisted that members of the party must work to sustain peace in Edo.
Oshiomhole added: “The real man who is the executioner of violence is Philip Shaibu, but he doesn’t understand that the real damage is to his Principal, and his Principal is not able to see through their own frustration.
“There will be peace. Today we have tested that, but I wasn’t there, which shows that this peace is not in the hands of one man. Once the party below is united, that is what matters and that is what we have displayed today, where people from all parts of the state came with one objective, to welcome people into the party.
“You have tension when you find out that the local party members are fighting each other, because, party membership, you can remain there as long as you obey the rules of the party.
“There is no limit for being a member of APC, but there is limit for being chairman, there is limit for being governor and there is limit to the tenure of being president, but there is no limit for being a member.
“So, once the members are united and comfortable, we will sustain the path of peace. That is why I opted not to go there today.”