It had the trappings of political grandstanding. The outing was comparable in its vast expressions with loneliness, in Shakespeare’s Julius Caeser.
“But ’tis a common proof / That lowliness is young ambition’s ladder, / Whereto the climber-upward turns his face; / But when he once attains the utmost round, / He then unto the ladder turns his back. (II, i, 21-25).”
He did not only turn his back but he also did fawn the base metal by which he did ascend.
This picture is being exemplified in the Edo political terrain by Governor Godwin Obaseki when he decided to pooh-pooh the congratulatory messages sent to him by former Governor Adams Oshiomhole and his opponent in last year’s governorship poll, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu on the finality of the Supreme Court verdict preserving him and his mandate.
Obaseki made no pretensions when he mocked the duo and rejected in their entirety the congratulatory messages, which he described as internet-driven.
He said if the opposition party leaders in the state were serious about their congratulatory letter, they would have printed it on letterheads with signatures rather than posting them on the internet.
He spoke on the issue when he was addressing a large gathering in Benin City, the state capital, on Tuesday, as part of the celebrations to mark Friday’s Supreme Court victory.
According to him, “Edo will never fall for such cheap messages called congratulatory letters; they are not serious, ‘na today, na today we do election, na today we win’. They are full of tricks.
“The APC in Abuja is being run just like what they did in Edo when they were in power in Edo State. There is a problem in Nigeria. The country has money but until we change our mindsets that taxpayers money must be used to work for the people and not for very few, we have to pray that what happened in Edo will happen in Abuja.
‘’The only party that has the right people for the job is the People Democratic Party (PDP) come 2023. Forward ever, backward never. Edo must move forward.”
His side swipes covered the field as he also slammed his former party, APC, in Abuja.
Some of the governors of the APC had reportedly rallied behind him to win his re-election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The APC governors involved in the anti-party activity had an axe to grind with Oshiomhole. They pooled their resources behind Obaseki to defy, defeat and demystify Oshiomhole by ensuring his (Obaseki’s) victory.
The qualification of Obaseki had been challenged on the ground of alleged certificate forgery through the courts. He won at the Supreme Court last Friday, thus bringing the protracted legal challenge to a terminus.
Recall that on Monday, May 31, Pastor Ize-Iyamu, had congratulated Governor Godwin Obaseki on his victory at the Supreme Court.
Ize-Iyamu had, in a letter to the governor, said that the Friday’s judgment of the apex court had put an end to the series of litigations on the governorship poll that returned Obaseki for a second term.
The APC candidate had asked Obaseki to accept his congratulatory message since all the cases were over.
“For the records, Your Excellency, your supporters had instituted 13 different pre-election cases against my deputy and I; all seeking to disqualify us from participating in the election.
“On our part, our party, the APC had only one case against Your Excellency and your party.
“We also deliberately did not go to the Elections Tribunal, not because we did not have issues but because we felt it was better to allow you to face the job at hand, moreso as our party at the national level had congratulated you.
“We are happy that all these cases have come to an end. Now that it is all over, please accept my congratulations,” he said.
Also, former National Chairman of the APC and two-time governor of Edo, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, had also congratulated Governor Godwin Obaseki and advised him to be magnanimous in victory after the Supreme Court verdict.
In a congratulatory message to the governor on his victory at the Supreme Court also on Monday, Oshiomhole had said the rift between him and Obaseki was an unfortunate incident which he had forgotten.
Oshiomhole also advised Obaseki to be fair to everyone in the state regardless of political affiliation.
“Congratulation on your victory at the Supreme Court, which has effectively laid to rest all matters arising from the last election,”Oshiomhole had said.
Read him further: “As I had repeatedly reminded you during our several meetings, our relationship has through the years developed beyond being friends to brothers of different parents.”
Stay ahead with the latest updates! Join The ConclaveNG on WhatsApp and Telegram for real-time news alerts, breaking stories, and exclusive content delivered straight to your phone. Don’t miss a headline — subscribe now!
