The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, recently said that former President Olusegun Obasanjo will receive punishment from God for supporting Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
According to Oshiomhole, it was Obasanjo himself who told God to punish him if he should support Atiku Abubakar in his presidential ambition. Perhaps, that was probably before or during the 2015 presidential election. If Oshiomhole’s assertion is taken to be correct, is he in a position to dictate to God how He should punish Obasanjo for supporting a presidential candidate of his choice? When Obasanjo supported past presidents such as Umaru Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, Oshiomhole did not prevail on God to punish him.
Of course, Obasanjo has the fundamental human right to support any presidential candidate of his choice as guaranteed in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So, also, are other Nigerians who may show interest in politics. It is therefore unimaginable for Oshiomhole to wish that Obasanjo should be punished by God.
Unfortunately for Oshiomhole, humans cannot play God, as only God can play God. The wish of Oshiomhole for Obasanjo cannot work in this regard, after all, he has not the slightest power to dictate to God on how His creation can be so punished just because of the fact that the ex-president is a politician and still paying both national and international politics in the comity of nations. Never in the history of Nigerian politics and politicking has any national chairman of a ruling party talk at random without respect for his political elders and superiors.
There is no doubt that Oshiomhole also insulted his political elders in Edo State. Such elders include Chief Tony Anenih and Pa Samuel Osagbovo Ogbemudia both of blessed memory.
He also treated Gabriel Igbinedion who is still an enigma in Edo politics. The bottom line is, what will Oshiomhole benefit if he should insult all his political elders and end up only as the national chairman of his political party. To the best of my knowledge, Oshiomhole is a Christian but may not be a born again Christian.
He should rather learn to respect his elders in accordance with biblical injunction, so as to enable God prolong his life on earth. During his two tenure governorship of eight years in Edo State, Oshiomhole could best be described as a sole administrator.
I have no good information about him on how he ran the administration of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) before he pursued his governorship ambition. There is one positive aspect of Oshiomhole which nobody can take from him, that is, he is eloquent and vast in oratory.
This natural attribute, however, cannot be an excuse for him to insult his elders. His profile has only revealed that he studied Economics and Industrial Relations at the Ruskin College, Oxford, in the United Kingdom. He also attended the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos. No wonder an ex-governor and a serving minister. What Oshiomhole is supposed to have done is to pray to God Almighty so he can end up like Obasanjo on the political scene and age, too.
This would have been a better approach rather than pouring insults on the elder statesman. It is hereby advised that the comrade should humble himself and ensure that he avoids frivolities and loquacious talk. It will not take anything from him if he should study politics to enable him to know the rudiment of both theoretical and practical politics. After all, learning is till death.
Only a fool will conclude that he knows better than any other person. Let Oshiomhole respect himself and also respect others especially his elders. Oshiomhole has also promised that the electorate will deal with Governors Rochas Okorocha (Imo) and Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun) in the 2019 elections, because they could not key into him during the last congresses of the party.
Amosun has declared that he will work against the victory of the APC governorship candidate in the state, but that he will work for the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari. So also Okorocha who has vowed to work against the interest of the APC governorship candidate in Imo State and support his son-in-law. Hence, the chairman of the APC has told them that they will lose the election in their respective states.
When Oshiomhole came to the leadership of the APC to steer its administration, he threatened to sack any erring minister from the cabinet which was constituted by President Buhari. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Productivity however told Oshiomhole that he was not in a position to sack any minister, because Mr. President appointed them. He also threatened to discipline all APC members who took party’s matters to court.
However, most APC matters which arouse from the State Congresses are pending in the various courts, while Oshiomhole appears to be helpless.
What Mr. President has done so far is to rescue the ugly situation of the National Chairman and to intervene and stabilize the party so that people will not think that the leadership of the party is dictatorial and autocratic. Oshiomhole should rise to these challenges and dump his political ego in the fundamental interest of himself.
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