Osa Director, firebrand journalist and no-nonsense lawyer, is bitter with Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State. And so bitter is the former Editor-in-Chief of Insider Weekly Magazine that he has vowed to see that the former NLC leader ends up in jail.
Accusing Oshiomhole of committing so many sins, he denied pocketing or collecting any money from the government as well as reaching out to anybody in government to broker a truce between them. Their war had been on for month’s now- and started not long after he was schemed out of his senatorial ambition…
What exactly is happening between you and Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State?
Nothing personal, really. It has to do with differences in political directions and commitments to the philosophy of democracy and rule of law, but the question you ask yourself is does he subscribe to the majesty of democracy? Does he believe in those principles he espouses before the public? He conducted one of the worst primary elections ever held in the history of Edo State under Action Congress of Nigeria. Till date, no one has seen the result of this primary. As a student, even if you fail an exam, you are given the report card. Till today, none of us has seen the result of the exam. The result is just written from Government House, subjected to the whims and caprices of Adams and the cabal that he leads or that he is part of. So, to that extent, as a friend, I gave him the benefit of the doubt for us to discuss this thing over, but Adams is a man, if you go to advise him, he will try to turn you into a listener and for me, that is also a reflection of some defects; lack of self confidence. Adams cannot tolerate intelligent and self confident people and I think that is a big problem for anyone who aspires to the position of a leader and wants to be seen and regarded as a leader. So, this is why I’m basically espousing my differences. Since he has refused a private resolution of the issue, I want the public to know where I stand.
But some people are saying that you fell out with him because he denied you a senatorial ticket?
That is also correct to an extent, in the sense that if I was properly…or if a proper election was conducted and I lost, I mean, as a democrat, I will subject myself to the majesty of democracy and the rule of law and the people’s choice. But this was a man who conducted a primary election that was worse than what even Abacha (Nigeria’s expired dictator) would have done. Just writing a list of names and telling everybody to step down. For incumbent members of the House of Assembly who were returning back, he said he wanted all of them back because of the way they were approving whatever thing he asked them to do. Those were the kind of things, principles that I underlined and then he practically sold all the senatorial tickets to the highest bidders and I didn’t expect that from a man who claims to have a labour background and who claims to want to let the people lead. So, yes, this is why I’m complaining. I’m complaining because I was manipulated, I was schemed out and I also know that he tried to give the impression that I was not serious and that was because he never took me seriously. And I feel pained a lot in the sense that if he expected himself to be taken seriously when he ran for governorship, why can’t he take a man of my reputation and caliber seriously? Then, there must be something wrong somewhere.
You claimed that Oshiomhole sold the senatorial tickets to the highest bidders, what evidence do you have to substantiate that?
It was so clear! One, he sold the tickets to those who fought against him when he was running for the election. They were all PDP decampees. For instance, I talk about my Edo South. It was given to the incumbent senator, Ehigie Uzamere, who was of PDP; who decamped to ACN few weeks to the primary. As a matter of fact, on the day he decamped, because it was so close to the primary election, he started campaigning that same day and brought some T-shirts to a particular ward and one of the elders asked him, ‘But you just decamped yesterday?’ When did you do all these materials? So, that tells you that they had the arrangement with Oshiomhole all the way and in a way, Ehigie is also one of these money bags. And we know Adams with his underhand tactics and deals. So, I can say it anywhere. Same thing in Edo North. He gave the ticket to Domingo Obende who also decamped from PDP, ignoring grassroots politicians like Dr. Tunde Lakoju and even his own SSG, Pally Iriase. But because Pally is such a grassroots mobiliser, that one had to wrestle a Federal House of Reps. ticket from him. The same way he stopped Peter Akpatason, his so-called comprade-brother in the labour movement. That one also had to wrestle a House of Reps. ticket from him.
In one of your interviews, you described Oshiomhole as a fraud; why will you call a governor, duly elected by the people and hugely respected by the people, as a fraud?
(Smiles) – But everyone knows that Oshiomhole fraudulent. You see, those who take him seriously are the gullible in the society and that’s why he appeals to them. You can’t deny him that. He’s a very smart man and he has the gift of the garb. He can speak. I compare him to a village orator. You don’t need to go to school to be an orator. So, he is a village orator who can work on the people. But for me, he’s not walking the talk, he’s talking the walk. Oshiomhole can talk the talk, but he does not walk the talk. And I’ve said it, his antecedent is well known to everyone. All of us who have access to information know that Oshiomhole is not a character to be taken seriously. When I entered the race, I thought that having deceived the world for so long and then using that same tactics to get to the top as a governor, that the man would atone for all his activities of the past and say God, you have been so kind, that in spite of all I’ve done, you took me to this level. I believed that he was genuinely going to change, but when I started seeing some signals, like constructing Airport Road, a 7-kilometre road for over two years, you are going nowhere and you are sinking billions of naira…he cannot proudly tell Edo people how many millions have been sunk into Airport Road and how much he started with. I am still sitting down now not mentioning figures because I’m waiting for November 12 when he will do his third anniversary and let us see what he is going to say and then I will take him on. We also know about his activities in Nigeria Labour Congress. When you talk of the issue of the Nigeria Labour Mass Transit, Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund and even the fuel price strikes. All those strikes were done on the platter of naira.
So, how come you knew all these things and you still wanted to run under the same party with him and all that? Again, even as a practicing journalist, you knew about all these claims and never reported them…it means that something is also not too correct with your battle with him? You fraternized with him, you hobnobbed with him, how come you only started blasting him after you were denied a senatorial ticket?
The truth is that you are saying this thing probably because you are ignorant of my own pedigree. As the Editor-in-Chief of Insider, we still have copies of Insider where we took Oshiomhole to the cleaners on several issues. We exposed his shenanigans and activities.
As a matter of fact, there was a particular edition we also said, you are hobnobbing with Obasanjo, you always say Obasanjo is one of the best presidents, how come because he does not want you to pick the ticket of PDP in Edo State, you now say he’s a fraud.
As matter of fact, I will not want to go into privileged discussion, but Oshiomhole knows what happened before he and I became so-called friends again. I am a man; I talk with every sense of responsibility as a journalist and as a lawyer. If you know my pedigree and my association with Oshiomhole, you will know that what I’m saying now is not different from what I tell him in private. If Oshiomhole is fair to himself, he will tell you that I’ve probably said worse things to him in private, either diplomatically or directly. So, I’m not doing anything strange and I’m sure that’s probably why he is quiet because he knows that I am only now saying it to the public. He’s already aware that this is my position about him.
You said you were ‘enemies’ initially, but he later did something and you became ‘friends’. Does that mean that if he does that thing again, both of you will rekindle your relationship?
No, no, no…I didn’t say we were enemies, then we became friends. No! What I’m saying is that he is aware of my private views about him. But like I said, if a man refuses to be advised privately, you do it publicly in your own interest so that people will not say ah-ah, but we didn’t know what he said. If you are a change agent, you must identify that people can change. I also expected, like I said previously, that Oshiomhole rising to become a governor, I thought he will change and express gratitude to God. But he has even become worse. I can tell you today that even if Oshiomhole succeeds in getting another term, if he leaves there, he’s going straight to jail…
Why?
Because the evidences are there, which we are going to present. I, Osa Director, as a lawyer, I’m not one of those people who write petitions with fictitious names, I will write my petition to the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) and make sure that Oshiomhole is jailed. And if they refuse, I will seek the power of a private prosecutor. So, I have the right and I will ensure that Oshiomhole goes to jail.
The Edo State Government alleged that you collected N3 million from them to do a project, but that till date you have not done that. Is it true?
Maybe you have access to information and that’s why you are saying N3 million. The Commissioner for Information said I collected some money to write a book on Oshiomhole and I disappeared and I’ve not accounted for the money. He purposely refused to say the amount because he knows that people will say common, why will Osa Director be associated with such a pretty sum if he wants to be fraudulent? And two, people will say if Oshiomhole claims to be Osa Director’s friend, so, is it a N3 million contract that he’s been able to give him in three years? That tells you the kind of a greedy person Oshiomhole is. But the truth is that the way and manner the commissioner spoke on the matter is a reflection of the quality of his mind and the quality of a journalist that he is. I’m grateful for one thing, that I’m not a black market journalist. I pity and sympathize with the commissioner because he’s an Information Commissioner who lacks veritable information and management skills to do his job. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about and that is why my lawyers have written to them and I challenge them now to open their mouths wide again.
So, what exactly happened, did you take any money from them?
My lawyers have written them on the issue that transpired and we are waiting for their response. Yes! Because when I speak, heads will roll. Including the former commissioner, Abdul Oroh, who started this whole blackmail by trying to tell people that I collected money and I left.
So, what is the way of this whole thing? How can you and Oshiomhole reconcile?
I am not begging for reconciliation. I also know that some of them have been running their mouths that I’ve been reaching out to them to reconcile with them. But that is strange. That is very, very strange. Because like I told you, I’m not quarreling with Oshiomhole as a person, I’m only disagreeing with him on the way things should be done. You see, my brother, there’s one thing I hate in life-hypocrisy! And there are two ways I can describe Oshiomhole – he’s greedy and he’s a hypocrite. So, I’m telling him that he can still change, and let him change. Let him not exploit Edo people because Edo people have been in dire stratis over the years and when you now come and start doing cosmetic things, while he is taking more than he is giving the people, because the people have not seen anything before, simply because there’s a semblance of governance going on. But you have not asked yourself at what cost? So, that is why I’m advising Oshiomhole to mend his way. God can still forgive him! God will forgive Oshiomhole if he mends his way. He should learn from the experience of Ghaddafi. Ghaddafi was a man that was loved. He was one of my childhood heroes, but along the way he lost his way. He got himself embroiled in the ways of the world and he ended up terribly. Till tomorrow, I weep when the image of Ghaddafi on the floor being dragged, is shown. I always weep when that image flashes through my mind’s eye. That is why Oshiomhole should know that no matter how popular he is now, these people who are drumming for him, will be the ones to sweep him away with the brooms that he brought from ACN.
