I was treated like a miscreant — Oshiomhole

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State said he was treated like a miscreant by security operatives, who accosted him on Thursday.Security officers had reportedly prevented Oshiomhole and some other governors of the All Progressives Congress from attending the final campaign rally of the party’s governorship candidate in Ekiti, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

Speaking with Channels Television on Saturday during a breakfast programme, Oshiomhole described the unnamed persons behind the restriction of the governors’ movement as overzealous, adding that President Goodluck Jonathan might not be blamed.The governor said he got to the airport and was told, “Sorry, we have instructions from above that (you) cannot fly.” Oshiomhole said, “I tried to make enquiries, but I was told that I couldn’t even fly to Akure and go by road to Ekiti. For me, it was unfortunate because you have overzealous persons.

“It may not be coming from what everybody regards as ‘above’ because the man in charge of this Nigerian project today, who is in the driver’s seat, is the President. I do not think that President Jonathan will order anybody to prevent people from going to campaign. “But you have people who think they love the ruling party more than the chief of the party. And for me, it was quite embarrassing. I didn’t see what value it had. If anything, it raises doubt about the preparedness of the authorities to allow for a level playing field.”

He stated that the rules for campaigning were clear, adding that “until midnight of the day before yesterday (Thursday), people continued to persuade.” He likened a governor stopped from moving freely to being treated like a miscreant, adding that he was embarrassed as a result of the development. “If you can stop a governor, you treat me like a miscreant. It’s not about me, it’s about the office. We reduce the country to something close to a banana republic. I was thoroughly embarrassed and it was an unnecessary thing,” Oshiomhole said.