Our Benin City correspondent learned from a very credible source about Jefferson Uwoghiren’s attempt to unseat Chris Nehikhare, the current Edo State Commissioner for Information.
Uwoghiren is a lawyer by training and the administrator of a WhatsApp platform called Market Place of Ideas.
According to our source who is an insider in the state government house,this occurred after Godwin Obaseki, the Edo State governor fired all of the commissioners.
One leader, whose identity we wish to remain anonymous, informed our reporter that the aforementioned Jefferson applied for the role of commissioner while they were waiting for new appointments.
He reportedly traveled around during that time asking Orhionmwon leaders to submit his name for the open job at that time.
Although many of the LGA’s elders objected, it was later discovered that the governor did not genuinely like the said Jefferson who he saw as an interloper trying to reap where he didn’t sow and opposed Chris’ removal although favoring his return due to his good works in the ministry. Chris Nehikhare who is from the same LGA with Jeff was said to unaware of the clandestine moves of the lawyer who is said to be more attentive on WhatsApp platforms than in the courts.
It was learned that the governor despises Jefferson because he is a cheap blackmailer and spars with him occasionally via proxy accounts.
According to reports, the governor is aware that the Jefferson approaches various Benin leaders and informs them that he has failed as a governor, but came behind to be seeking for an appointment with with same government he was slandering a few months earlier and still does in proxy.
Although the governor has never directly addressed him, it was claimed that ever since he was paid for leveraging tribal feelings to promote the governor during the House of Assembly elections, the governor has been avoiding him.
The governor does not like the fact that he does not frequently appear in court for matters outside of cheap hustling.
Additionally, claims of bribery against the aforementioned Jefferson in his capacity as a member of the Edo State Private Property Protection Committee have been made, albeit this has not been substantiated.
But In a telephone conversation with with Mr. Jefferson, he told Truth Live News that he did not lobby for any position in Obaseki’s government and queried “what’s wrong with lobbying for a position in a govt” that he has been supporting.
He said: “I was only told that some leaders in my LGA submitted my name for consideration in Obaseki’s cabinet, I didn’t lobby for it, I was not even told before my name was submitted”.
“I called Chris Nehikhare who is from the same ward with me to inform him of what I heard but assured him that was not interested in his position and that I didn’t even know when my name got to the office of the governor”..
Mr. Jeff asserted that he had been supporting the government of Obaseki since 2016 and that getting a position in the government is not out of place.