The National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has been described as a man with an unbridled fixation on Taraba state due to the fear of impending defeat. He has also been cautioned to watch his utterances when commenting on his party’s misfortunes in the state.
Making this known to newsmen in Abuja, Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to Governor Darius Ishaku, Emmanuel Bello, noted further that the APC national leadership is scared of the rising profile of Governor Ishaku, especially as it can not seem to find a challenger within its fold to confront the incumbent in the 2019 election.
Bello noted that Oshiomhole is aware that he can not take Taraba the way he did Ekiti due to Governor Ishaku’s popularity. So he is now resorting to a campaign of calumny.
Oshiomhole had remarked on Monday that APC will give Taraba state a “resident governor” in 2019. The former Edo state governor said this while swearing in a factional chairman of the party, Bar. Ahmed elSudi
But in his reaction, Bello said Taraba state already has a resident, people oriented governor who is at home with the populace and doing a great job.
Bello said, “this is the second time Adams Oshiomhole is vibrating and engaging in his trade mark unchecked vituperations against imaginary foes. The first time he spoke about Taraba governor, he said the mandate was stolen through rigging. He then announced that it was the time of the APC to also rig. The statement must have embarrassed even APC members in Taraba. How could a former governor and national leader of a party blatantly announce it has plans to dig using the electoral body and security forces. But there he was in all his infamy boasting of their ability to rig.
Now he is calling Governor Ishaku an absentee governor. This is a man with a terrible record in Edo state. Those records are in the public domain. This is a governor who elevated intimidation, abuse of office and exploitation to high heavens while he held sway in Edo.”
Bello said Governor Ishaku has received numerous awards of excellence from reputable bodies on the basis of hardwork and innovations. He said further that each time the governor leaves the state, it was to attract investors and connect with the larger world.
He said, “the governor is never absent. He may physically travel out of the state But he keeps in touch with his team. Modern governance has made that very possible. No effective leader would stay in one place for too long. Interactions and the need to find development partners requires some form of travelling by serious executives. And that’s what this Governor does. His recent trip, for instance, saw him forging strategic alliances with key countries in the areas of agriculture, education and health. The Kenyan model for inner city water scheme is one of the highlights of his administration. And it was a product of a state visit to Kenya. These are but a few benefits of such trips. Not the empty trips embarked by the leader of Oshiomhole’s party which has now left Nigeria the poverty headquarters of the world.”
