Former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, addressed the criticisms surrounding his past humility and leadership decisions, particularly in relation to his successor, Godwin Obaseki. Oshiomhole explained that despite warnings about Obaseki’s character and potential failings, he initially approached the situation with humility, even apologizing to those who cautioned him. Reflecting on Obaseki’s governance, he expressed concern over several incidents, including the tragic imprisonment of a pregnant woman who later dìed after giving birth to twins in custody.
He also pointed out that the mass transit buses still operating in Edo were part of the infrastructure he established during his tenure. He further claimed that while Obaseki attempted to distance himself from this legacy by removing the name “comrade” from the buses, the contribution remained visible. Drawing a comparison between their professional backgrounds, Oshiomhole noted his experience as a lawyer, while Obaseki worked as a tailor, using this to comment on the differing levels of understanding in governance between them.
He said in an interview with Channels TV from 17:49, “If you want to fault me for being humble, that’s your body. So, this is the context. I knelt down and I said listen, I apologize because not a few people keep telling me, ‘Oh, we told you that this man will not perform, we told you about the character of this man,’ and look at the damage he has done – putting a woman in prison for three months, 8 months pregnant, and she delivered twins in prison. The woman died thereafter. This news is all over the place. Now you go to Edo, the only mass transit buses on the road are the buses I bought, which I called comrade buses.
Of course, he removed the word “comrade” but he couldn’t remove the image of the buses. The ones he bought, he withdrew them after he bankrupted the treasury. So, what is it that they were campaigning with? I have been a lawyer, Oshiomhole is a tailor. I said fine, in the business of politics, the tailor probably knows everybody that wears clothes in the city or in the village. The board chairman managing director in typical rural Nigeria, they don’t know what a managing director is about.”….Sêe _ Morê