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The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Thursday said it had written letters to President Goodluck Jonathan and the Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, on the allegation of age falsification levelled against the Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
The party said it had asked the president to strip Oshiomhole of the national honour bestowed on him on the grounds that the governor was not a fit and proper person to continue to hold such an award, having lied about his age under oath.
The state PDP Chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, who addressed journalists yesterday in Abuja, also said the party had sent a petition to the IG demanding an immediate investigation into the allegation of perjury against the governor.
“Having so conducted himself in a most fraudulent manner, we of Edo PDP are left with no option than to appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan to strip Oshiomhole of the national honour of Commander of the Order of Nigeria (CON) as it is clear that he does not deserve it,” he said.
However, in a swift reaction, Oshiomhole described the allegation by the PDP as laughable and meaningless.
The governor, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Kassim Afegbua, said those accusing Oshiomhole of perjury lacked the competence to discuss issues of honour and morality.
Orbih whose party is still very bitter over Oshiomhole’s labelling its members as rogues, said a close scrutiny of the governor’s history showed that he had spent all his life living a lie about his age.
He said Oshiomhole had lied on oath that he was born in 1953 when he was about to be sworn in as governor, whereas records showed his actual date of birth was 1952.
He said the governor gave the same date of birth (1953) in his voter’s card, with serial number PU12/06/10/001.
Orbih recalled that recently, precisely on April 4, prominent Nigerians, including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and President Goodluck Jonathan’s representative were in Benin to honour the invitation by Oshiomhole, who claimed he was celebrating his 60th birthday.
He said a day after the event, the Edo State PDP, in the spirit of playing politics without bitterness, ran congratulatory adverts for Governor Oshiomhole in some national dailies congratulating him on his 61st birthday celebrations.
He said the PDP advertorial, was guided by the date Governor Oshiomhole listed in his INEC form CF001 as his date of birth, that is April 4, 1952.
Speaking against the background of Oshiomhole’s reference to PDP members in the state as rogues, the party chieftain said Oshiomhole has been parading himself before the world as a saint and labelling others rogues, “but he has spent all his life living a lie.”
It is appalling that the governor has been deceiving Nigerians with a false date of birth to suit his fraudulent designs.
He said the PDP was not regretting not allowing the governor to be admitted into its fold when he came begging for membership.
While responding to yesterday’s call for the striping of Oshiomhole’s national honour over his age discrepancies, his side, Afegbua said the issue had been over-flogged.
“We find it laughable that Mr. Dan Orbih and his musketeers for want of job to do, are gallivanting all over the streets of Abuja all in the name of trying to remain relevant and get media attention. We have since moved beyond the pedestrian emanations which they tend to drag us on account of the age of the Comrade Governor.
“We will not join issues with the likes of Dan Orbih and his co-travellers, who like herdsmen, are moving from street to street to register their presence in Abuja because it is sharing time for board appointments. They should not bother too much, we are sure the president will still remember them in his quiet moment for board appointments.
“Those who lack morality are not competent to discuss issues of honour and morality. As busy bodies, they do not need to be moving from one street to another like political jobbers, they should just go to court.”
“All these shortcuts to noise making are deliberate distractions which we will not be dragged into. Rather than continue to behave like members of jacobian scandal club in medieval times, they should find meaningful use of their time, “ he added.
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