VP ambition: PDP can’t intimidate me — Oshiomhole

GOVERNOR Adams Oshiomhole has dismissed the antics of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which he said is trying to intimidate him based on the belief that he wants to contest the vice presidency under the All Progressives Congress (APC). Speaking to State House correspondents after a meeting of the National Council of State (NCS) presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan at the State House, Abuja, on Tuesday, he blamed the ongoing crisis in the Edo State House of Assembly on the refusal of the suspended PDP lawmakers to obey the decision of the court. He also said the PDP was interested in destabilising the stwate, having been rejected by the people. Oshiomhole said: “In my own election, in all that they boasted that they were going to do, I defeated them in all the 18 local government areas, including the local government of the PDP godfather. “And so, what they are trying to do now is that having lost the election, having been rejected by the Edo people and knowing that another election is coming, they want to destabilise the state and intimidate my person.” Recalling the statement issued by the national leadership of the PDP recently which accused the governor of destabilising Edo State because of his vice presidential ambition, the governor observed: “Now, that is standing logic upside down. If I want to contest the vice presidency, do I need to destabilise the government that I currently head? “So, they have let out the cat, meaning that they are afraid of their own rumoured ambition that I want to contest vice presidency. “So, the point I want to make is that, if I decide even to contest for the presidency, the PDP cannot intimidate me. I have a right to do so if it is my conviction. “It is unfortunate that some people want to put their individual interest above the national interest and I cannot be intimidated. I’m firmly on ground and there is nothing to worry about.” Tracing the cause of the crisis in the House of Assembly, the governor noted that “you have some people who believe that because they are members of the PDP, they are above the law and they want to celebrate the culture of impunity. “But I am a product of struggles all my life. I’m used to people who think that they are much more than what they are. And my own life history tells me that only the man on the side of truth is on the side of God and only that could survive. “The issue in Edo is straight forward. Four members of the PDP on their own went to court, asking the Federal High Court to ask the Speaker not to declare their seats vacant. “Number two, (the are)asking the court to restrain the Speaker and the the House of Assembly from carrying out any disciplinary action against them. The court granted these two reliefs. “Now, the issue is, I can understand why they were asking that their seats should not be declared vacant, because they had changed camp, the penalty as provided by Section 109 of the Constitution. “But they also went on to ask the court to restrain the Speaker from suspending them based on internal disciplinary issues. “The court granted both prayers. But when the motion was argued by both sides, the court ordered that the Speaker should still not declare their seats vacant pending the determination of the substantive suit. “However, the court vacated the order restraining the House and the Speaker from suspending them for any alleged misconduct on the ground that the court cannot prevent an arm of government from carrying out internal disciplinary measures. “Now, having vacated one leg or the other, the House met subsequently based on their rules and suspended these four members.”