Metuh, PDP are frustrated, says Oshiomhole’s aide

The Edo State government has described spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh’s as a man whose utterances are a mere exposure of his frustration and that of his party, having failed in their desperate attempt to unleash violence in the state.

On Sunday, Metuh accused Oshiomhole of instigating violence in the state for selfish reasons, because he and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), are “jittery over the soaring popularity of the PDP in the state and have resorted to orchestrating crisis in a spirited move to stop the trend”.

But responding on Monday, Kassim Afegbua, the media adviser to governor of the state, Adams Oshiomhole, said the Edo State government was not surprised by Metuh’s outburst, since he had built a reputation for peddling falsehood and crafting propaganda.

“The crisis in Edo Assembly is a product of PDP’s desperation for power in its attempt to capture anything in sight like a bunch of famished baboons. It is the same theatre of desperation that is pervading the entire political landscape as a consequence of PDP’s show of raw power. We find it laughable that Olisah Metuh who is reputed to be a propagandist and who had earlier lied against the Comrade governor has come up again to embark on another tale of the absurd,” Afegbua said.

“Comrade Oshiomhole’s record of performance in Edo State has since become a reference point in the history of performance and good governance in Nigeria. His tremendous achievements across the state could only have been possible through prudent and transparent management of resources, especially in a state that was run aground by the PDP for 10 solid but sordid years. Reminding Edo people of those forgone years of the locust is to insult the collective sensibilities of the people.”

Refuting Metuh’s allegation of financial impropriety and a vice-presidential ambition against Oshiomhole, Afegbua said: “We are not aware that the comrade governor ever sought to contest for vice president of the country. In fact, we would have loved a situation where he would run for president of the country to take us away from this regime of tactlessness that has almost earned Nigeria a failed-state status.

“Under the Constitution of Nigeria, the Edo governor has all it takes to contest for any office in the land. If our thoughts were to go in the direction of our wishes, we would crown Oshiomhole as president of Nigeria. But so far, the comrade governor has not indicated interest in any elective office for now. When he does indicate interest, we will inform Olisah Metuh. So tell Olisah Metuh or whatever his name is, that he should not allow his adrenaline to fire him beyond the rubrics of decency for now.”

Afegbua said the four members of the Edo State assembly who tried to usurp the powers of the house only got a teaser of what they bargained for.

“To play around with a governor that was popularly elected by the people of the state meant that they will incur the wrath of the people. The oversight function of the assembly is not in doubt, and as a responsible, prudent and transparent government, our books are open for public scrutiny all the time. It is only those corrupt and bankrupt PDP governors that would be afraid of being probed, certainly not the comrade governor who has been applauded at home and abroad for good governance by reputable organisations such as World Bank.

“It may interest Olisah Metuh to know that the Edo State government published its audited report in the dailies a couple of months ago. This is in furtherance of our open government dogmas. I dare him to tell his PDP governors to do same if he would not incur their wrath.

“We are lovers of peace and stability. When the likes of Comrade Oshiomhole were fighting for democracy, there was no trace of Olisah Metuh on this horizon. Violence is not in our character but we have capacity to mobilize our people to demand for their rights and defend same at any given time. That should be enough food for thought for the Olisahs of this world,” Afegbua added.