Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, on Monday said the moment he presented the staff of office to the new Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, remained the greatest moment of his eight years tenure as the governor.
Oshiomhole spoke with State House correspondents shortly after a meeting he had with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said the excitement he derived from the event was next to the one he experienced when he was signing his oath of office at the beginning of his first term in 2008.
“It was a great moment for me when I presented the staff of office to the new Oba of Benin. I was full of excitement that was only next to the one I experienced when I was signing my oath of office,” he said.
Oshiomhole who will be leaving office in November also said he had no regret for any action or decision he took during his two-term tenure as the state governor.
He said his emergence as governor, from being a labour leader, had proved that anybody can become whatever they desire to become in life.
He said with his performance in office, he succeeded in demystifying hitherto godfathers in the state to the point that they could not win elections again.
He denied rigging the state governorship election, arguing that only the Peoples Democratic Party is skilled in rigging elections.
The governor said the governor-elect, Godwin Obaseki, was not under compulsion to be loyal to him, saying his loyalty should be to the people of the state.
He said, “I am not the state, I am only one out of about four million Edo people. So his obligation and his loyalty should be to the people of Edo State.
“The oath of office he is going to subscribe to says that he will defend the Constitution of Nigeria, he will do everything to uplift the quality of life of Edo people.
“Nothing in his oath of office will include ‘I shall not betray my predecessor’ because I have no interest to be betrayed.
“For me, I have presided over Nigeria Labour Congress for eight years and I had a successor, there was no story of me having conflict with my predecessor because conflict only arise when you refuse to accept that when your tenure is over, it is over.”
Oshiomhole also said there was nothing wrong in him campaigning for Obaseki during the campaign period.
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