PORTRAIT OF A BAD LEADER: How Oshiomhole is Destroying Nigeria
Dan Ugwu
Adams Eric Aliyu Oshiomhole is the national Chairman of All Progressive Congress (APC) party in Nigeria. Oshiomhole, former president of Nigerian Labour Congress emerged APC headsman on June 23, 2018 following a voice vote by delegates at the party National convention in Abuja.
During his Labour days, Oshiomhole was prominent as the leader of a campaign for industrial action against high oil prices in Nigeria.
Early in the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, Adams Oshiomhole was known to have negotiated a 25% wage increase for public sector workers. In return he publicly supported Obasanjo and endorsed his candidacy when the latter was re-elected in 2003.
However, his relationship with Obasanjo turned sour as neglect of local oil refineries led to reliance on imported gasoline, followed by rises in the price of fuel. Oshiomhole led strikes and demonstrations against the increase. As a result, he faced arrests, tear gas and temporary blockades of union offices, as Obasanjo introduced legislations to make it more difficult for the NLC to strike.
All of these give a picture of a trusted man of the people, a Nigerian who can be trusted with leadership and someone who has experienced the people’s hardship before laying hold on power. But all of that was yesterday, and like the Latin people will say, Corruptio optimi pessimi, that is, the corruption of the best is the worst.
As our man veered into active partisan politics, the tide began to change. After seizing power through the court from Oserheimen osunbor of PDP on March 20, 2008, Oshiomhole led his native Edo state for a round of eight years. The analysis of his reign is better left for Edo people.
Less than two years after Oshiomhole handed power over to his successor Godwin Obaseki who is now his greatest enemy, Oshiomhole got infected with power aphrodisiac as he emerged APC chairman. Ever since then, he has led the party with iron fist.
Edo state chapter of the APC has been boiling as a result of the disagreement between the state Governor, Godwin Obaseki and the national Chairman of the party Adams Oshiomhole, and the underlined word is greed and choice of who decides what in the state.
Some political pundits are of the view that the defection of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu from PDP to APC was part of the plot by the Oshiomhole camp to draft him into the governorship race in 2020 and then upstage Obaseki.
Whatever will be the outcome of Edo election on September 19 is still in the womb of history. APC chieftains in Edo like the former political adviser to Mr Oshiomhole, Charles Idahosa have been accusing Oshiomhole of instigating crisis within the APC in the state.
Is it only Edo State that has been getting a share of Oshiomhole rascality? No. We saw this kind of crisis in Zamfara and Rivers states chapters of the APC in the build up to the 2019 general elections and it was never resolved. In the end, the party paid dearly by not fielding candidates in the two states and their booties were shared by the PDP.
It did not stop at that. Oshiomhole seem to have infested Imo State with this same unwholesome approach to politics. Ever since his mismanagement and involvement in Imo, grace and peace have eluded the eastern heartland. First of all, his mismanagement and shoddy arrangements of Imo chapter of APC led the party to defeat in the last election.
One will quickly recall the press statement issued by Okorocha’s Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, in Owerri on Thursday, March 14, 2019 where the governor said that posterity will judge Adams Oshiomhole and Hope Uzodimma over fate of APC in Imo. In the said letter, the governor alleged that Mr Uzodinma worked for the People’s Democratic Party in the concluded elections.
He said “Mr Uzodinma was one of the first to celebrate with the PDP candidate, Emeka Ihedioha, after he was declared the winner of the election, citing a video of the two contestants as proof of his guilt.
“We had maintained that Chief Uzodinma was just a mole in the APC and today, the governorship election in the state and its outcome have obviously vindicated us, aside the fact that a video of Chief Uzodinma’s celebration with Ihedioha has gone viral on the social media”.
He also alleged that Mr Uzodinma succeeded in the alleged plot by ensuring only his supporters were made agents of the party, adding that his target was to destroy APC in the South-east. Okorocha revealed that Uzodinma succeeded through Adams Oshiomhole to ensure that only his supporters were made agents of the party, from the list he sent from Abuja to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He further revealed that none of Uzodinma’s and Oshiomhole’s approved agents were seen either at the ward, local government or at the state level. Part of that letter reads “We had equally maintained the contention that Imo people would not vote for Uzodinma because they know him very well, but Oshiomhole refused to listen. He came fourth and never showed that he took part in the election”.
These revelations will even go a long way to show the level of insincerity and immorality that have marred the installation of Uzodimma as Imo governor through the antics of Adams Oshiomhole. It is needless to discuss about Oshiomhole’s bid with Rochas when Adams visited Owerri and brokered peace between him and other leaders of the party with a bargain of structure and candidacy sharing formular on a 55-45 ratio.
Posterity will indeed resolve that when it is due. But, it has to be record that Oshiomhole’s dangle with Hope Uzodimma and their subsequent employment of Federal might to recapture Imo against the people’s choice is the height of immorality from two high ranking Catholics with high positions in the Catholic Church.
Through this standard, Oshiomhole has instituted an ugly precedence on how not to chairman a party. The critical opprobrium generated by Oshiomhole against the presidency does not at all worth it as he has always cashed in on Buhari’s popularity to achieve sinister motives. Until Oshiomhole purges himself of all these tricks, Nigeria will never be better for him.
No comments:
Post a Comment