By Osahon Osahon
The ward 10 chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State, Mr. Stephen Oshawo, on Thursday gave reasons for the suspension of the former national chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
Oshawo, who said he has no regret for suspending Oshiomhole, an action which led to the ouster of the former Edo governor as the party chairman, claimed that the former labour leader refused to pay him his pension while serving as the state governor.
He noted that under Oshiomhole despite being chairman of his ward, Oshiomhole had no regard for him and allowed him to suffer.
He stated this Thursday in Benin, while receiving an Award of honor for good governance as an outstanding political icon of the year, given to him by the Chief Executive Officer of Mega House Entertainment, Goodluck Osama Ogbeide.
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According to Oshawo, he moved for the suspension of the former national chairman of the party, to pay him back for his [Oshiomhole’s] failure to pay his pension for eight months, when he was governor of Edo state.
He however said that when Godwin Obaseki took over as the governor of the state, it didn’t take him a month for his own pension to be paid.
He said, “What gave me the mind to do what I did is that I was there as the chairman of ward 10 when Adams Oshiomhole was the governor of the state, and now I am here.
“I know the different between there and here. I decided to cleave to now which I know is the modern life of today. You know, this government believes in development and in the masses.
“The truth is that, when the former government (Oshiomhole) was in power as the governor of the state, I was [an] insider. I was the chairman in ward 10. I suffered many things and nobody knew me or recognized me.
“As a chairman to the governor of the state, I couldn’t receive my gratuity as a pensioner and as a chairman to Oshiomhole when he was still the governor of the state, I was not able to get my pension for eight months. But when Godwin Obaseki came in, it didn’t take him up to a month, he paid my gratuity and not only me but all the pensioners in Edo State.
“There is nobody he is owing and if you are retiring today, next month you are receiving your pension. So I have much to say which makes me to believe in him.”
Oshawo who denied facing any threat from his community over his action, added that what he did by suspending the national chairman of the party in his ward has made him more popular.
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“I just came back from home yesterday because of this award. I have been at home for more than a week now. When Comrade Goodluck called me yesterday to say this was going to happen in Benin, that is why I came and if not, I would have been at home by now. Nobody drove me from my home. I stayed in my home, I worked in my home,” he said.
“I believe in God and I don’t know if anybody is threatening me but the pressure is political.
“I don’t have any personal pressure from any quarters, but I don’t know my enemies and I don’t know if somebody is planning to. You know, when David killed Goliath, people were singing that David killed 10,000 while Saul killed 1,000.
“People were not happy. So if people are praising me like this man has done, I know other people will not be happy because it made it to become the David and that they are singing that I killed thousands of people because I eliminate god-fatherism.
“So those who are under that level will not be happy with me while those who know that I have come out to liberate them, they will be happy with me and praise me.
“So I am very happy for what is going on. There is no pressure from any quarters at all neither is there any threat from any quarters”, he explained.
Commenting on the award given to him, Oshawo described it as a pat on his back for standing up to eliminate god-fatherism from the state politics and it will spur him more, to always stand for what is right.
“I am very happy over the award. This award means a lot to me. It means that I should continue to do what I have done that warranted this award because I believe in truth, transparency and also eliminating god-fatherism,” he added.
