By SIMON EBEGBULEM

BENIN CITY- THE Benin National Council, a socio-cultural organization in Edo State, alleged yesterday that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State are sponsoring malicious attacks against the immediate past governor of Edo state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole because they are jittery that his expected emergence as the next national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will further ruin the chances of the party both in the state and the entire nation.

Oshiomhole

Addressing journalists in Benin City yesterday, BNC alleged that the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state are behind the attacks using one Osadolor Ochei to “dish out lies and we will not fold our hands and allow our people to be misled”.

The Legal and Logistic Officer of the BNC, Arc. Oduwa Igbinoghene, who addressed journalists, said the author of the suit against Oshiomhole is “ a none political jobber who is acting from the kitchen of his master who has gotten frustrated since he lost the election to rule Edo state”.

Addressing some of the issues raised by Osadolor, “If any of these things were true, under President Goodluck Jonathan they would have arrested his commissioners. This is just their last-minute battle. We recall that in 2012, the PDP went to take a snap shot of a house owned by Drake an American artist, describing it as Oshiomhole’s country home in Iyamho his village, claiming the building cost N10billion. They tried to deceive innocent citizens but that plot failed.

“Now the PDP and their agents made so much noise about Oshiomhole’s property in Benin, at Okorotun and that building we are aware reflected in the former Governor’s asset declaration including the source of funding. But we are aware that the governorship candidate of the PDP in the past election, Pastor Ize-Iyamu, who has a house twice the size of Oshiomhole’s house in Ugbor, Benin City, sinking on about four hectares of land complete with a football pitch, and all that he has done in his life is being Personal Assistant to Igbinedion, Chief of staff and later Secretary to Igbinedion’s government.

“When the fact remains that Oshiomhole even as a former President of the NLC, for eight years and two term governor of Edo state, Comrade Oshiomhole don’t even have a house like that anywhere in the world. And we are aware that these were not reflected in Ize-Iyamu’s asset declaration. Let him come out and face the charges that he is currently facing and not hide under any cover to distract attention from facing the criminal case which is already in court.

“Not only that they are facing trial for money laundering they have cases pending in other courts. We are aware that the EFCC are yet to investigate his assets as well as several estates himself and his wife own in different parts of the State for which we know that the state government have details about. But we want to state categorically that no amount of blackmail will derail the chances of Oshiomhole because God and stakeholders of the APC have said he is the next National chairman of the APC” he declared.