The ward 10 chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Etsako West local Government of Edo State, Stephen Oshawo, Thursday said he has no regrets suspending the immediate past National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole as member of the party in the ward.
Oshawo, made the remarks while receiving an award of honor for good governance as an outstanding political icon of the year, from the Chief Executive Officer of Mega House Entertainment, Goodluck Osama Ogbeide in Benin City.
Recall that the suspension of the former national chairman by the ward which was however, upheld by the court of appeal subsequently led to the dissolution of the party’s National Working Committee by the National Executive Council presided by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He noted that the award was a pat on his back by the group for his standing up to eliminate godfatherism from the state politics.
He opined that the award will spur him the more to always stand for what is right.
He however, added that part of his grudges against Oshiomhole was that he failed to pay him pension for eight months as governor of the state but didn’t take governor Godwin Obaseki on assumption of office a month to offset the pension.
According to him, what gave me the mind to do what I did is that I was there before and now I am here.
“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 for what I have done, I know other people will not be happy because it made me to become the David and that they are singing that I killed thousands of people because I eliminate godfatherism.
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”,he said.
The ward chairman, who denied facing any threat from his people at home, added that “nobody drove me from my home. I stayed in my home, I worked in my home”.
Oshawo, added that suspending the national chairman of the party has made him more popular.
“I know the difference 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 insider, I was the chairman in ward 10. I suffered many things and nobody knew me or recognized me.
“As a chairman to the former governor ward , I couldn’t receive my gratuity as a pensioner when Adams Oshiomhole 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”, he added.