Oshiomhole denies sacking deputy governor’s aides, owning airline

REACTING to reports in some quarters that he is sacking political appointees believed to loyal to Deputy Governor Pius Odubu, to weaken his political base ahead of the governorship election in the state, Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole yesterday said it was not true, maintaining it was a mere rumour.

He also denied reports in the social media that he has an airline operating in Cape Verde.The governor made the denials when he swore in a new commissioner for Information and orientation, Prince Kassim Afegbua and a new commissioner into the Edo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOPADEC), Sunday Iyamu from Orhionmwon Local Government Council, believed is being brought in by the governor to replace a loyalist of the deputy governor.Oshiomhole however, said he believed in contests, which is a hallmark of democracy.

“I have managed the most diverse, non governmental, mass-based, mass-driven mass-financed organisation in the black world, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and there is no organisation with more members, those who actually paid to become members not political parties where members come to collect and I have appetite for contestation. I enjoy it and I believe that it is necessary in a democracy, it is what distinguish a free people from slaves.”

“The situation is, some people who committed petty stealing, were investigated and confirmed, even by the deputy governor and we excused them and relieved them of their portfolios as commissioners. Whereas, they ought to hide their heads in shame, they sponsor stories that they have been fired because they were supporting the deputy governor. That is the kind of world we find ourselves: they instead try to find escape routes.”

“They are going to be inventing stories, taking advantage of the social media and the Internet; devoting a whole team to scandalise everyone. Between last week and today, they said I owned a new airline and it is called Forte Adams operating Cape Verde! I wish, I would get a job that will make me get so much money that I can actually procure an aircraft.

You see when people take advantage of modern technology to design and falsify all kind of claims, it will be your headache and members of your team to pick the ones to ignore and the ones to respond to.
“In 2012, these same people designed a false pornographic material and put my face while ‘things’ were happening.”