During a recent campaign trail in Ewhohimi, Esan South East, Adams Oshiomhole made an outlandish claim to the effect that Dr Asue Ighodalo, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has no house in his own community, which is a complete lie. Canvassing support for his candidate demands that Oshiomhole tell the people the truth and not a cocktail of lies.

All through the last two or three weeks, Oshiomhole has made it his favourite past time to always tell outlandish lies against either Governor Godwin Obaseki or Dr Asue Ighodalo. Unknown to him, it is a poor strategy that has seriously ridiculed and belittled his age.

Imagine a 72 year old man telling barefaced lies during a political rally. A supposedly devout Catholic for that matter. Imagine an erstwhile president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) telling lies through the teeth.

Just imagine a two term governor of a state in Nigeria telling lies without batting an eyelid or showing remorse. Just imagine a former national chairman of a ruling political party condescending so low to telling white lies at a political rally.

Imagine a distinguished senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria unashamedly telling lies publicly; with a straight face before national television cameras.

Imagine such a man throwing caution to the wind, no hesitation, no remorse – just making such lies sound like the gospel truth.

Isn’t that a symptom of a complex sickness? Isn’t that a manifestation of the state of being extremely paranoid or being haunted by other inexplicable phobias. That’s exactly why he must not be taken seriously. Nobody should take what he says or stand for seriously because they are all lies.

The case with Oshiomhole, as far as the campaigns for the governorship election in Edo State is concerned, is don’t believe him.

Oshiomhole has become so paranoid about Ighodalo that hardly a day passes without him saying malicious and libelous things about the boardroom guru and attacking him for no just cause.

And such attacks come in the forms of bloody lies and propaganda that are far from the truth. The question is how would an old man with many children and a beautiful second wife and a supposed name to himself, so shamelessly discount his age, name, image, and the truth and transform into a “bloody liar”. His claim that Ighodalo has no house in Ewhohimi is one of such ‘bloody lies’. And contrary to his claim which is on record, Ighodalo has a house in Ewhohimi and Oshiomhole has been there on two occasions. Yet, he chose to lie to Edo people out of desperation and paranoia.

In response, Ighodalo chose the well attended Town Hall Meeting with indigenes of Edo State in Lagos last Sunday to address Oshiomhole’s lies and he did that with class and finesse. He simply said: “Oshiomhole knows I have a house in Ewhohimi. He has been there twice. During the funeral of my late father and when he lost his own wife. Yet he lied through the teeth that I have no house. Such bloody liars should not be taken seriously. I rest my case.”

If Oshiomhole can tell such a dastardly lie with a straight face and without compunction, rejecting him and all he stands for in this Edo State governorship election will be the best way to save Edo State from desperate, manipulative and untruthful people who mean no well for the state.

•Etakibuebu, a public affairs analyst, wrote in from Benin City.

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