“Today, the two major Parties in Nigeria have presented two Esans as their candidates for this election, but it could have very much not be so if the leader of Edo APC, Adams Oshiomhole, had his way. ”
“We all know how much Oshiomhole detests Esan. He has shown this over the years till date and has never done much to hide this obsessive hatred for Esan people, the tribe of his late wife and mother of his children. ”
“We saw how Oshiomhole hounded Esan Elder statesmen like Chief Tony Anenih and Chief Tom Ikimi; We saw how he failed for eight years to do anything in Esan. Apart from just one road connecting Ebhohinmi, where his late wife hailed from, and some other Esan communities, that he tarred, Oshiomhole did nothing in Esan; we saw how he tried to destroy The Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma with all sorts of policies, culminating in the creation of another university for Edo state at Iyamho, Oshiomhole’s village, to further atrophy the State’s university at Ekpoma, that was already in an unhealthy state. ”
“To take Oshiomhole’s hatred further, he not only worked to ensure an Esan candidate did not emerge as APC candidate earlier this year, he went on a tangent on National TV in a bizarre show of animosity and bitterness, to disparage Esan and Esan people, that they could not win Governorship election in Edo state and therefore did not deserve the ticket of a major political party. That they were a minority. He could not control his rage. He wanted another Benin man to take over from a Benin man. Oshiomhole forgot an Esan had earlier been Governor of the old Bendel state that had far more population and political intrigues. He also forgot he too was from a minority area and it did not stop him from being Governor. ”
CULLED FROM THE ESSAY “A FERVENT CALL TO THE ESAN SPIRIT OF YORE TO ARISE AND SHINE.” By Daniel A. Noah Osa-Ogbegie, Esq., PNM FCAI