Edo North: Oshiomhole Fires ‘Ungrateful’ Senator Alimikhena

Former Edo State Governor and Deputy Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Adams Oshiomhole, has slammed Senator Francis Alimikhena.

Reacting to a claim by Alimikhena through his aide that Oshiomhole wants to use the senate as a retirement venture, the former governor stated that he is contesting for the senatorial seat to represent Edo North following calls for him to redirect the kind of representation from the area which he said has been lacklustre for the past eight years.

In a statement to newsmen on Tuesday, the Director, Media and Publicity of the Edo North APC Presidential/Senatorial Campaign Council, Victor Oshioke, who spoke on Oshiomhole’s behalf, said the APC chieftain would do a better job than the present occupant of the seat, Senator Alimikehana.

He described as ludicrous, preposterous, illogical, and absurd, allegations levelled against Oshiomhole.

Oshioke stated that the allegations shows how thoughtless, inconsistent, and bizarre their reasoning has become, seeing the groundswell of support that Oshiomhole’s candidacy is garnering across Edo North.

“Francis Alimikhena is older than Oshiomhole by over 5 years, so if any of them is trying to use the Senate as a retirement home, it is Francis Alimikhena. At 75 years old, Alimikhena is the oldest person ever to aspire for any elective office, not only in Edo North but across the entire Edo State.

“Also, nobody has ever sought a third term in office as a Senator in Edo North. It is not that past senators from this area have not performed, yet even the best of them employed wisdom to voluntarily not seek reelection after two tenures. Senator Domingo Obende from Akoko-Edo had only served one term in 2015 when Alimikhena challenged him for the ticket. Even with his two tenures in office, he has not measured up to Senator Domingo Obende, much less Senator Yisa Braimoh or Senator Victor Oyofo, who served for two terms,” he said.

The APC campaign spokesperson accused Alimikhena of abandoning the party in 2015 to pitch tent with Senator Bukola Saraki against the wish of the party to become the deputy majority whip of the senate.

He said despite the anger of APC members over the development Oshiomhole as National Chairman of APC ensured that he was given the ticket and returned to the senate.

He said “The motivation to go to the senate at this time came from the pressure mounted by concerned Afemai people who reached out to him to come and rescue the senatorial district from poor representation and a total redundancy of our seat at the Senate.

“In the last eight years, Edo North is one of the very few of the 109 senatorial districts of the Federation whose Senator has not initiated any bill or ventured a unique perspective to any national debate on the senate floor.

“This is the reason why critical stakeholders from Edo North across party lines, came to appeal to Oshiomhole to rescue the seat from Alimikhena and help engender a formula that will ensure the seat is seamlessly rotated between Etsako, Akoko-Edo and Owan. This is one of the tasks that Oshiomhole will concretize and leave as a legacy when he is elected into the Senate.”