The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole has, accused the Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, of betraying him.
Oshiomhole said this on Wednesday when he spoke with supporters of the APC who visited him in his Iyamho residence in Edo State.
He said the betrayal was despite the fact that he backed Shaibu to attain high political office, including emerging as the Deputy to Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Referring to Shaibu as his son, Oshiomhole said he would continue to toe the path of peace over the party’s crisis in Edo State.
He said: “It is about the truth.
“We have a President (Muhammadu Buhari) that believes in the truth, that believes in fairness, that believes in justice, that believes that government should fight for the poor.
“There is nothing I have done in life that I didn’t have to fight for, but as you can see by the special grace of God there is no fight that I was forced into that I have not prevailed because I do not go out of my way to look for trouble.
“I actually do my best to make peace but if it fails, God will give the enablement to stand on our feet and defend the truth.
“The only thing I will say today to anyone who is here who is an agent of my son….
“When I talk of my son, I am talking of Philip Shiabu, who now thinks that his own political future requires that he attacks me and import thugs to disgrace me in my village.
“The Hausas have a saying that when people are possessed and they do things like that, just say God take control.
“Supposing I was dead after 2016 and somebody tells me that my son Philip will organise people to attack my house or to attack my village to disrupt the convocation maybe my body will be turning in heaven and I will not believe it.
“But the fact that I am alive to see someone who did not win his own booth because his own people in his own village in his own community of Jattu did not want him because they apparently know him better than me, but I stood by him.
“I stood for him not on false stand and he became deputy governor.
“If all that transpired now is to use that power to humiliate me but God forbid… as you can see, who can fight the battle, it is only God so I leave the burden of guilt to them.
‘’I will not repay evil with evil.
“I will stand on the path of peace.
“I will stand on the path of unity.
“I will stand on the path of justice because I know that God in heaven will never allow the evildoer to prevail.
“I am very happy that God has given me good health and that I can see some people who fought me in 2007 and God gave me victory and from victory I made them commissioners.
“I gave them jobs.
“I assisted them whenever they were in need… I am alive to see them because of a small pot of pepper soup signing signatures to say Oshiomhole should not be.
“Some of them called me privately and said they were given contracts, some about N10 million and they say if I don’t sign they won’t pay my money and I say okay may the N10 million make you a millionaire.
“Some say I have been given a job and they say if I don’t abuse you they will sack me and I asked: is it not God that protects?
“I don’t want to be remembered for using my office to harass anybody.
“I have left government for three years now, but you people are here now on your own.
“You are not millionaires in your pockets, you are billionaires in your minds.”
