The senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has asked former presidential spokesperson, Dr Reuben Abati, to meet him in the street for a fight over a comment which he found disrespectful.
The senator accused the Arise TV anchor of disrespecting him with his ‘mischievous’ comments on live television — and challenged him on Tuesday; during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
This is coming after Abati questioned former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa in a recent episode of Arise TV’s ‘the Morning Show’ — a development to which Oshiomhole said he found absurd that Abati would imply he had such powers within the APC.
Meanwhile, the ‘disrespectful’ comment was; “did you get permission from Oshiomhole that your sins will now be forgiven before you decided to decamp to APC?”.
During his interview, the former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress and ex-governor of Edo State despite not mentioning Abati’s name —would go ahead to reference the journalist’s past and political career pointing his statements clearly in his direction.
“I was particularly shocked that a senior editor could ask the immediate past governor of Delta state, Okowa, mischievously, I must say, with all due respect, ‘did you get permission from Oshiomhole that your sins will now be forgiven before you decided to decamp to APC?
“How can you ask that? What is my status? I am in the legislature. Is the legislature responsible for the prosecution of anyone wrong in any way?,” Oshiomhole fussed
He also referenced Abati’s past encounter with the EFCC when he was arrested and later granted bail.
“The man who made that statement was at a time invited by the EFCC after he was Jonathan’s spokesman, shamelessly. Thereafter, EFCC arrested him. Was I the one who granted him bail to leave PDP to go where he is?
“Even on Labour Day, he was saying some labour leaders who had been involved in picketing and fought for workers; he could not even credit me with the fact that I led the protest. This is a guy who wrote ‘Oshiomhole the people’s president’ when I was president of the NLC.
“Rather than crediting me with that, he said when they leave NLC, they now go and become governors,” Oshiomhole said.
Point blank, the former governor asked Abati who was the running mate to Buruji Kashamu under PDP —during the 2019 Ogun State gubernatorial election before they lost to APC’s candidate; Dapo Abiodun — to meet on the street so they could fight.
“If you are angry because you wanted to be a deputy governor and you lost an election in Ogun state, is that the reason you are paranoid, that every opportunity you want to abuse me? — If you want to abuse me, don’t hide behind the TV let’s meet in the street and fight it out,” he said.
Read Also: Oshiomhole Declares Full Support For Edo Assembly’s Suspension of Council Chairmen, Deputies
