6th September, 2020
By Jethro Ibileke
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Edo State, has threatened to open can of worms on former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, if he does not stop questioning the credentials of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Chairman of the campaign council of the party for the state governorship election, Chief Dan Orbih, who handed down the warning on Saturday, during its ward-to-ward campaign at Oredo wards 1 and 2 in Benin, accused the former governor of deliberately setting a section of the State’s Ministry of Education on fire in 2012, to cover his primary school certificate scandal.
The Edo PDP, under the leadership of Orbih and its gubernatorial candidate in 2012, Major-General Charles Airhiavbere (Rtd), had dragged Oshiomhole who was the APC governorship candidate in the election then, before a Federal High Court in Benin, seeking his disqualification from seeking a second tenure as Governor, over his primary six certificate.
Orbih said the party would be forced to expose the circumstances that surrounded the fire disaster in which Oshiomhole claimed his primary six certificate was burnt.
“If he [Oshiomhole], does not stop talking about the qualification of Obaseki, we are going to question his primary six certificate.
“He burnt the building so that his primary six certificate will not be investigated. Like I said earlier, those who live in glass house should not throw stone,” he advised.
According to Orbih, “If others who did not perform up to Governor Obaseki could get a second tenure, why can’t he get it?”
But in a swift reaction, one of the loyalists of Oshiomhole, Samson Osagie, described the allegation of certificate scandal as “an empty threat.”
He boasted that the PDP “can go ahead to investigate the fire outbreak.”
Earlier while speaking on the achievements of Godwin Obaseki as governor for four years, Orbih commended the PDP candidate for restoring sanity to the corridor of power in the state since the past four years.
On his part, the member, representing Oredo Federal Constituency, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, who appealed to the youths to be vigilant during the election, charged eligible voters in the state to defend their votes.
Addressing party faithful and supporters from Oredo Ward 8, 9, 10 and 11, Obaseki alleged that two APC members-elect of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Eric Okaka and Mr. Chris Okaeben, representing Oredo East and Oredo West constituencies respectively, were deceived to abandon their legislative duties by his predecessor.