The former Edo state governor for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Professor Oserheimen Osunbor, has recently revealed the reasons behind his decision to leave the party.
Why I Left PDP - Prof Osunbor
Osunbor defected abruptly to the All Progressives Congress (APC)after the elections earlier this year.
Osunbor noted that he knew that if he had offended Anenih, he would not be forgiven because the chief had told him that he never forgives people.
“Although, he is not my God, and he cannot influence my destiny or whatever God wants me to become in life. So if I beg him does not mean that he can make me anything, or can prevent anything that God wants me to achieve. I only asked for forgiveness in the interest of peace and the development of our people,” he concluded.
In the light of all these controversies surrounding the party, Osunbor was sometime ago indicted by the National Human Rights Commission for perpetrating electoral impunity.
Why I Left PDP - Prof Osunbor
Osunbor defected abruptly to the All Progressives Congress (APC)after the elections earlier this year.
In a recent interview with Daily Independent he said: “First, the appointment that I had was due to my personal relationship with former President Jonathan. Because the same man who claims to be god didn’t even want Jonathan to give me that appointment. So it couldn’t have been a party-influenced appointment. The second one is that I’ve always supported Comrade Adams Oshiomhole since the 2012 governorship election in Edo State, but the PDP had been supporting him even before then. I’m sure you know that the PDP traded off my position as governor of Edo State. I will be surprised if you as journalists do not know that now. A number of PDP governors were targeted and traded off for the opposition in order for the party to have its way in some other places. If there is a Nigerian who doesn’t know that, then I will be surprised. So, PDP traded off my position as governor of Edo State. So if PDP government gave me an appointment as the chairman of Nigerian Law Reform Commission, was that really a fair compensation for removing me? This is because at that time, the then National Chairman of the party, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor, boasted to me that the PDP had 28 states and that the PDP was not bound to win everything, and that the PDP was ready to concede some states to the opposition. He told me if I didn’t succumb to Chief Tony Anenih I ran the risk of losing my seat. And after I was removed, he asked me: ‘You see what I was telling you’.”
“Did you see what has happened?’ He said that if I had listened to him, I wouldn’t have been removed. When Adams Oshiomhole came in, he gave three commissionership slots to Chief Anenih in appreciation for the help he gave him to become governor. That was before 2012. So when people claimed that I supported Adams Oshiomhole, I ask, who gave Adams Oshiomhole more support, the PDP leadership or myself? But, of course, I supported Adams Oshiomhole in 2012 when it dawned on me that the PDP leadership was not ready to win the election. I knew that all the leadership wanted was to trade with PDP in that election and amass billions for themselves. And I was not prepared to be led by people who were out to use the party to enrich themselves. Then I said to myself that if we have all decided to make things very easy for Oshiomhole, why should I withhold my support for him? After all, he has done more work in four years than the PDP could have ever done in all its years as a ruling party in Edo State.
“As for the issue of begging Chief Anenih, the newspapers have reported many times that I have gone to beg him. Again I would be surprised if you have not read those stories. Personally, I don’t know what I did to him, other than that, according to him, he borrowed N200 million to finance my election. I didn’t see any N200 million that Chief Anenih contributed to finance my election. But I’m aware that he contributed N100 million to the PDP in Edo State and as governor, I ensured that that money was paid to him. So he was then saying that we never paid him any money, that he borrowed N200million. I do know that it was against the electoral Act for any individual to spend that kind of money in support of a governorship candidate. So, is he saying that he violated the Electoral Act and used 200 million to install me as a governor? And if he spent 200 million of his money to install me as governor, how much contribution did he receive from the PDP national headquarters? The State House also sent money to states for governorship elections in the states. How much was sent, I don’t know because the money was not sent to me. And how much did he get from other individuals and corporate bodies who were contributing money for the election in Edo State? I don’t know how much he was given, and if he borrowed 200 million for my election after all the contributions, I never saw any 200 million. But in the interest of peace, I ensured that the one I knew he contributed was paid back to him. So what offence did I really commit against him that he doesn’t want to forgive? Of course, it doesn’t surprise me because he had told me before when the relationship was rosy that he doesn’t forgive people.”
Osunbor noted that he knew that if he had offended Anenih, he would not be forgiven because the chief had told him that he never forgives people.
“Although, he is not my God, and he cannot influence my destiny or whatever God wants me to become in life. So if I beg him does not mean that he can make me anything, or can prevent anything that God wants me to achieve. I only asked for forgiveness in the interest of peace and the development of our people,” he concluded.
In the light of all these controversies surrounding the party, Osunbor was sometime ago indicted by the National Human Rights Commission for perpetrating electoral impunity.
