Comrade Godwin Erhahon is the Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State. In this interview with OSAGIE OTABOR, he says the rift between Governor Adams Oshiomhole and his predecessor, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, will not pave the way for electoral victory for the Peoples Demoratic Party (PDP) in future elections.
People have been protesting against the policy of Governor Oshiomhole…
On the Land Use Charge, we noticed that some politicians particularly the PDP that has lost in this state because of their woeful performance are doing things with very satanic intentions and motives. They are the ones instigating people and our people are being misinformed. Majority of those protesting in the streets are tenants and children of the poor whose parents are staying in the exempt areas and those in the densely populated areas. On the issue of the school fees, I understand the pains most parents are going through because of the level of poverty in the country. We want to ensure there is quality education in this state. Instead of protesting, they should have look for ways to meet at a middle course. They should have seen how it would be reduced but not for the old rate to be maintained.
Should Oshiomhole apologise to Chief Igbinedion as being proposed by protesters?
I refused to comment on that issue. I believed that when there are issue between two prominent citizens in this state, I was supplied to play a mediating role. The issue came from the governor on the platform of my party and Chief Igbinedion against whom such statements were made is a man of high esteem. I will not want to fuel any crisis between the two of them. I believe there is room for reconciliation.
The PDP accused Oshiomhole of being corrupt and that he has not lived up to the people’s expectation.
When the PDP says the governor is corrupt, what the average Edo man understand by that statement is that the governor is not sharing the money as they are used to. When they say the Governor Oshiomhole not lived up to expectation, it is because the governor has not abandon the people or the projects as they did. Any such assessment by the PDP as a party to have any meaning there need to be a comparative analysis such that when PDP was seven years old in government, this is what they did. They should point any roads or schools built by the PDP. In the absence of this, the PDP can only be seen as protesting against progress. It is possible that if the PDP has done a little of what Oshiomhole is doing, they would not have been losing elections in the state. They don’t want to see anything good in what we are doing but they have been rejected. I assure you that the PDP will never take over this state again. They will only make noise before elections.
Some women wore red to protest which signify danger. Will it affect the fortunes of your party?
How many of the women wore red? They said red signifies danger. The danger is first on the body that worn it. If all those wearing red attire survive the danger is it those who saw it that would be affected? They are the ones who have endanger their souls be wearing a uniform that portend danger. It is from them and for them.
Lucky Igbinedion appeared ready to oust the APC from the state, following his reply to Governor Oshiomhole….
Lucky Igbinedion knows that is impossible. When he had some minute integrity in the state, he could not have won election without rigging. This time around that the image is totally down, there is no way he can come out to campaign. Rigging is no longer possible here because PDP has not won any election in this state. I am not taking sides in the issue of the probe threat from the Governor to Igbinedion. I don’t have the details .How prepared is your party for next year’s elections?
The road project we suspended because of the rains are being flagged off again. We are not prepared to join the PDP on the street. The PDP are noise makers. They don’t know what to do to impress the people other than just telling lies or making wide allegations. On our part, we are serving the people. Inspite of some women protesting, don’t you see the crowd on the street when Oshiomhole went out. Did Lucky Igbinedion came out on the street for the eight years he was a governor. The people know their own and their enemies. There is no way the PDP will perform better than they did in the last election.
Are the various protests and voices not a threat to your party’s fortune?
They have a right to complain. We are not saying there are no pockets of opposition or political enemies because they are coming out as enemies by trying to be violent and virulent. I assure that it is aloud. We will not be happy if we don’t have people challenging us. We are interested in ruling the state not conquering opposition. From all they say good or bad, we find some useful information from what they said. They are enemies of progress. They hate development. You saw how women were shedding tears of joy when the governor visited Queen Ede reclamation work. The women said they have been salvaged. PDP was sad that the people are happy. Their regime was that of a sadist and capitalist. They don’t want anybody to be happy. PDP cannot be happy with the Second East Circular road being constructed now. When we see them crying, we will know that we are doing well. The only way to test it was for us to step out like the governor did yesterday.
Many people are of the opinion that the Igbinedions brought Oshiomhole to power. They said the Igbinedions are capable of routing the APC from power.
I don’t know what they meant by that. I will like to hear details of how they brought Oshiomhole to power. I can remember that in 2007, Lucky Igbinedion raised the hand of Professor Osunbor and said the AC was a like an air conditioner without a compressor. If that was a way of campaigning for the AC, I don’t know. Let them speak out that they gave Oshiomhole so so money to campaign and get power. Let them say they were able to work against the PDP then. If they brought him to power, it means they never liked PDP. What has now attracted them back to the PDP. Let them be the one to say so, people should not just assumed. They should not believe in rumor. Let those who did the bringing to power speak out.
Are they capable of routing the APC?
How many are they. It they go out to bring out 300 women, how will that make them win. The way they are coming out is an indication of the number of votes they will get. When Pastor Ize-Iyamu left, they said the APC has collapsed but we are still strong. we have not less than 200 members in every Ward. Those protesting now are less than five percent of voters. Our concern is that the PDP should not misled our people. They should not play on the people’s intelligence. They are using the people against what is good for the people. Some of the women protesting do not know why they are protesting. Ask them what Oshiomhole said about Chief Igbinedion, they cannot tell you other than they said the man is abusing Chief. They cannot tell you what Oshiomhole specifically said. I am careful because of what I represent in this state.
The PDP said they can now compare Oshiomhole to Lucky in terms of failures and achievements.
They should show Edo people what Lucky did. For the first time I was sarcastic when those women said Oshiomhole has done nothing in Benin except his hometown, Iyamho. I wondered how somebody could be blind to what is visible to the people in Benin City. Is it every governor that can be unpatriotic and irresponsible enough to abandon his home like the Igbinedion government abandon the road to Okada. Oshiomhole said Lucky awarded the Iguobazuwa-Okada contract to his younger brother, Bright and that the contract was not performed. Till today, that road has not been done. People are dying there regularly. Students are endangered because of the bad road. Some women are now talking about the governor that took care of others and his hometown. If I were a governor, I will not abandon my village. As I take care of other places, my coming to power must be a blessing to my people. You cannot be a governor and cannot tar the road to your community. After you have left, you are now begging successive governments to do the roads.
Why is that the APC is doing enough to inform the people about government policies?
The state government is doing that but the PDP is playing politics of envy. We don’t want to join them in the mud. The government has come out with the details of its policies and they are on it. If the PDP as a party is shouting, we will not join issues with them. They once quarrelled that the Edo YES staff should be removed from the street because they were not working. After we stopped them to enable us screen them, they turned around to say we have sacked people unjustly. People are not fools. The PDP is a party is self contradiction. I advise the electorate not to disappoint God who gave them sights. They will be disappointing God when they say the good road they passed to protest is not good. If they go naked to protest in pretending they are blind and God said to let them go permanently naked, they will run mad. We pray it does not happen to them.
Lucky said your party should point to one industry created in the last seven years.
For Lucky to say so, he should have hold a product of one of the industries he established. That is the proper way to say it. Even if it is a fruit juice bottle already processed, he will hold it and say this product is from an industry I establish while I was there and in that industry we are having 1500 staff there, Oshiomhole should show his own. Until he does that and them people will confirm. Let Lucky show the product of the industries he established.
‘Protest against Oshiomhole funded by PDP’ - Godwin Erhahon
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Thank you for dropping your response, there are other interesting news on the page too