Edo 2020
Adams Oshiomhole @ 68: The Serial Survivor
By Chuks Ekpeneru
Adams Oshiomhole has spent a better part of his life engaged in one combat or the other, winning against odds.
It was thus remarkable that in the weeks leading to his 68th birthday that he was yet enmeshed in battles on several fronts despite being chairman of the nation’s ruling party, All Progressives Congress, APC.
Oshiomhole started work at the Arewa Texitle Company, Kaduna in 1975 and soon became a union organizer. He rose through the ranks to the position of General Secretary of the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, a union with over 75,000 workers.
After democracy was restored in 1999, he emerged as president of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC and fought battles on behalf of Nigerian workers.
He engaged the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo and negotiated a 25% wage increase for public sector workers.
He fell out with Obasanjo when he led strikes and demonstrations against fuel increase. His relationship with the Obasanjo administration was indeed marked by love and hate.
As he stepped down from the presidency of the NLC, he entered the political arena.
One of those who reportedly lured him into politics was the finance expert, Godwin Obaseki who reportedly also helped to mobilize the seed funds for the political venture to be governor of Edo State.
At the end of his second term, Oshiomhole broke bank and bones to foist his chosen candidate as his successor.
Oshiomhole’s stewardship as governor was celebrated in some circles as successful on account of the rehabilitation of roads in both urban and rural areas. However, that achievement is contested by political opponents both in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and even within the Edo State chapter of the APC.
However, what is largely not contested is his claim to have retired the political godfathers who held sway over the state prior to his advent as governor.
At the end of his second term, Oshiomhole broke bank and bones to foist his chosen candidate as his successor.
Obaseki, a technocrat was the choice above several other political chieftains. The argument for the choice in some circles was that Oshiomhole wanted a non-politician who could manage the state in view of the lean times he foresaw. Some others said he wanted someone without a political base so that his control of the state would continue even after retirement.
Still another camp thought the choice was to repay the favour and encouragement Obaseki gave him when he started his political career in 2006.
Whatever, the choice of Obaseki was supposed to be a safe choice for Oshiomhole to sustain his political ascendancy over the state.
As the national chairman of the APC, Oshiomhole sought to enthrone people power in the party once he stepped in. His initial prescription for direct primaries as against indirect primaries was seen as a way of returning the party to the grassroots.
However, not long after the order was reversed with the decision that states choose whatever form of primaries they desired.
That decision led to confusion in many states as party chieftains took different positions based on self-interest. In the end, it did not do Oshiomhole any good as it aggravated internal crises that led the party to lose safe states including Adamawa, Bauchi, Zamfara, Oyo among others.
Though he returned President Muhammadu Buhari to power and helped the party to decree the leadership of the National Assembly, his efforts were seen as pyrrhic.
It was no surprise that even before the party could settle down for its second term as the national government, that the daggers were drawn out against Oshiomhole.
He escaped by the whiskers the conspiracy set against him after the last minute intervention of the president. But after the president allowed him to be so humbled and dragged from court to court no one can confidently say that similar interventions can be guaranteed in the days, weeks and years ahead of him.
Comrade Oshiomhole at 68 on Friday has surely buried many godfathers, seen off persecutors and established a legacy that he can be described as the survivor!
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