BY DAN OWEGIE

It all started with the al leged  attack on Hon Rasaq Momoh who represents his constituency at the Edo State House of Assembly by some yet- to- be identified persons when he scaled the fence of the Edo State Legislative Quarters at an unholy hour of the night.

Expectedly, the tongue of Edo State People’s Democratic Party Chairman, Chief Dan Orbih  went hay wire to  accuse the Edo State Governor who was host to visiting President Goodluck Jonathan.  He and his PDP equally accused  the  Majority Leader of the Edo State House of Assembly of being responsible for the attack on Razaq Momoh.

Vehicles destroyed by the hoodlums at the Edo Legislative Quarters

Most Edo people who watched all sorts of video footages on the incident condemned the attempt by the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State to politicise the  fate of the  lawmaker. Most people have continued to condemn the unwarranted dragging of the name of, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole into what he knows nothing about.

Dan Orbih in share desperation to add more pepper to injury told Edo people on live television and radio interviews that the Comrade Governor had acquired some $150million financial war chest to unleash mayhem on PDP faithful in Edo land.

What a wicked way to cover up the internal conflict in the PDP and assassinate the character of an innocent and innocuous governor! Orbih should take a next bold step now to tell the public the source of the  said $150million. The onus of proof lies on the accuser. Which bank is the money kept?

When the news of the fate of Momoh broke out, his aides and PDP gave the public an impression that Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Philip Shuaibu led fifty thugs to attack him! It was not true.

All of these media propaganda by the PDP were targeted at misinforming unsuspecting members of the public and in the same vain,  curry public sentiments unduly.

The PDP owned private radio station in Benin was running all sorts of funny analyses and giving false messages.  The question to ask Orbih and PDP is: how can fifty people attack one man with guns, axes, knives and other dangerous weapons yet,  the man is alive to tell the story?

Edo people cannot be fooled by the PDP goons who are desperate for power at all cost and the truth must be told. People must not play politics with human lives.

Momoh’s aide who told the whole world that Majority Leader led over 50 people to attack his Oga also said some masked men had invaded Momoh’s home that evening and met the wife and threatened to return for the husband. In an era of telephony, why would the wife not call the husband and tell him her experience assuming the story is anything to go by if only to stop him from coming back home that night?

How can masked people who came to Momoh’s home now become 50 unmasked people led by Hon. Philip Shuaibu. The account of his aides and the spineless PDP just do not add up. They are just manufactured to cover up PDP clandestine move to eliminate those they consider threats to their agendas ahead of upcoming elections within their party.

One must strongly urge Momoh’s family and friends to look inwards.

The public should inquire what Razaq Momoh was doing at the Legislators’ Quarters at about 11:00pm when he has been ejected from the place. It is curious that Momoh, a supposed “honourable” member had to jump the fence to gain entry to the quarters,  because the gates had been locked. Nigerian should ask his  motive that hour.

It will be recalled that as a member of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, Momoh was arrested by a team of Operation Thunderstorm in April, 2013 for unlawful possession of firearms during the local government elections in the state.

As a member of the ruling party, the governor insisted that the full weight of the law must be brought to bear on the offender and he was duly charged to court, a case which is still pending in court. If anything, Momoh’s annoyance was the refusal of Governor Oshiomhole to protect him from prosecution which precipitated his cross-carpeting to the PDP.

It is also on record that at the beginning of the crisis at the Edo State House of Assembly the nine Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers, which include Razaq Momoh engaged the services of the two dismissed staff of the state House of Assembly Service Commission (EDHASC) as the Sergeant-at-Arms and Clerk of the assembly respectively. The nine PDP lawmakers who broke into the hallowed chambers of the assembly complex at the Ring Road to hold their sittings, hired the two dismissed staff and to  pose as the Sergeant-at-Arms and Clerk of their fake assembly respectively.

The identification of the dismissed staff was contained in a statement signed by the Chairman of EDHASC, Emmanuel Oronsaye, in Benin City, the state capital at the commencement of PDP mayhem in the House.

Oronsaye, gave the particulars of the dismissal letters of the officers as P.C.944/78 and P.C. 372/83, and said the officers were dismissed in December 20, 2010, and February 16, 2011, respectively for certificate forgery. This was long before any misunderstanding  in the House. Is that the party that want to take over power in Edo State? God forbid.