Don’t Blame Me for Your Political Misfortune, Keyamo Fires Back at Oshiomhole

Says he’s not against APC’s CECPC

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN) has said that former Governor of Edo state, Adams Oshiomhole should not blame him for his political travails.

He said that he has nothing against the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led by Yobe State Governor, Alhaji Mai-Mala Buni.

According to Keyamo, he only gave honest and sincere advice to the National Chairman of the CECPC and three other highly placed persons in the APC in the light of the judgment of the Supreme Court.

While reacting to a statement credited to a Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, Chukwuemeka Eze linking Keyamo to a plot that led to his removal from office, Oshiomhole had said in a statement by his media aide, Victor Oshioke, that Festus Keyamo was alleged to be in the forefront of the plot to remove him and indeed provided legal support through his personal legal assistants who went to court and argued on behalf of those that filed cases for his removal as national chairman of the APC.

According to the statement, the Minister’s advice warning the APC’s CECPC led by Governor Buni to step aside based on the recent pronouncement of the Supreme Court may be because he failed to secure the expected benefits from his ouster.

But in a statement by Keyamo’s Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Tunde Moshood, the Minister said he was not in any strategic legal position to influence the litigations filed against Oshiomhole nor was he privy to how members of the CECPC were nominated or selected.

The statement reads: We have been alerted to a press statement making the rounds credited to one Victor Oshioke issued on behalf of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and titled, ‘leave Oshiomhole out of APC leadership debate’.

“The story of the political tussle between Gov. Godwin Obaseki and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in Edo State is so well documented that we do not need to remind Nigerians about it. Mr. Keyamo had absolutely nothing to do with it. The cases they filed against each other raged from Benin to Abuja and other parts of the country. Mr. Keyamo never filed a single case in court, nor was his Chambers or juniors in Chambers used in any of the cases. The records are there”.

In the statement, Keyamo described the allegations made against him as unfair and unfounded, adding that he did not release his recent legal opinion on the Supreme Court decision in Jegede versus Governor Akeredolu to the public on social media.

“Out of pure patriotism, Mr. Keyamo sent his private and confidential advice to no other person but the National Chairman of the CECPC himself and just three other highly placed persons with a note not to forward it to anyone. It was honest, sincere and selfless advice in the light of the judgment of the Supreme Court on that day,” the statement explained.

On the removal of the former Edo governor from office, the statement said: “When the crises finally consumed Oshiomhole, Keyamo was not in any strategic legal position like the office of the Attorney General of Federation, APC legal adviser or a Special Assistant to any high office within the system on legal matters. Keyamo was not privy to how members of the CECPC were nominated and/or selected, so he did not have the benefit of the opportunity to point out any legal disabilities. Regrettably, the respected Comrade must have given in to gossip and rumours”.

The Minster said he is a big fan of Governor Buni and they have continued to have healthy conversations over the issues at stake.

“This is not a personal issue. It is just for the survival of the party and Mr. Keyamo will always defend and support the CECPC to the end unless the Supreme Court says otherwise if and when the Court has the opportunity again to decide with the proper parties before it. He will continue to pray for victory on our part. His only offence now is that he sounded a private note of caution because of recent developments at the Supreme Court. How someone can interpret that to be hostility still beats our imagination.”

The statement concluded that Keyamo holds Oshiomhole in very high esteem and regards him as his leader and mentor.