The New Nigeria Collective (NNC) on Wednesday joined the feud between Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki and a businessman Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo by describing the former as untruthful.
The group accused the governor of failing to own up to his “acts of ingratitude and cruelty” to Okunbo in his reply to the latter’s “detailed letter” on Monday to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The reply, it added, was “a deceit” intended to “mislead the public and attract undeserving sympathy in his desperation for a re-election.”
Obaseki is seeking a second term on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform against the All Progressives Congress (APC’s) Pastor Ize-Iyamu in the September 19 election.
In a statement by its chairman, Adeola Adewunmi, NNC claimed that Obaseki’s response was “emotional blackmail”, and that the governor “danced round the issues without paying attention to the clearly identified issues.”
According to it, Obaseki was untruthful when he described Okunbo as his brother.
“If truly he was your brother or friend as you claimed, did you ever reach out to him even after he said at different times that you and your men should leave him alone?
“Why didn’t you also confirm to the whole world that Captain Okunbo was your brother and friend by asking your foot soldiers to stop all their attacks against him, at least, after you saw a letter he personally wrote and addressed to the public? But after that, the attacks escalated,” the group said.
It criticized Obaseki for calling a former APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole a godfather.
It claimed that the governor was “the greatest beneficiary” of the godfatherism status he conferred on Oshiomhole.
It added: “As the economic adviser to Oshiomhole for eight years, why did you not resign your appointment since you said you did it pro bono, especially if the man was evil as being painted now the same way you are trying to paint Captain Hosa with lies…
“We make bold to say Oshiomhole did more infrastructure developments than your propaganda of the last four years.”

By Robert Egbe