Embattled governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has launched a probe into how a video clip of him advising a widowed petty trader to “go and die” leaked.
The clip, which leaked last week, depicted Oshiomhole personally leading a taskforce confiscating the wares of street traders. When one elderly woman, whose wares had been seized, dropped on both knees before the governor, pleading that she was a widow, Oshiomhole retorted, “then go and die!”
The video clip, which IT experts claimed has been watched by more people than the “Oga At The Top”, sources told Pointblanknews.com, has triggered the biggest internal probe in Edo Government House.
“The Comrade has personally led the probe. They have asked all the cameramen who covered the assignment to submit their tapes for forensic analysis,” an official of the Press Unit told Pointblanknews.com.
“We greatly suspect that the PDP chairman, Chief Dan Orbih has moles in this government. That is why the governor wants to flush such out,” he added.
Another official told Pointblanknews.com that security has been tightened in and around Government House, Benin, and mobile telephones have been prohibited.
He said, “The security details have been placed on red alert. Nobody, no matter how close he or she is to the governor is allowed in with any electronic device.
“In-house cameramen must now turn in their tapes the moment assignments are over. Restrictions have been imposed on the type of assignments reporters and cameramen of independent media houses cover,” he added.
An official of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) described Orbih as the biggest headache of the Oshiomhole administration.
“Recall it was the same Orbih who chartered a helicopter fitted with cameras and got exclusive shots of Comrade’s mansion in Iyamoh,” he reminded.
“It was Dan Orbih who leaked copies of Comrade’s educational certificates which bore different names and suspicious dates. The PDP chairman at a time publicly challenged Comrade to show his certificate and quite sadly, as we speak, they have yet to respond.
“It was the same man who put up full page adverts congratulating the Comrade on his 61st birthday, a few hours after Comrade hosted the whole to an elaborate 60th birthday celebrations,”
The NLC official described Oshimhole’s “go and die” outburst as “expected.
“Comrade is one of the most uncouth persons. He lacks decorum and tack, and doesn’t mind saying anything, no mater how vulgar or brash, anywhere and at any time,” he submitted.
The official chided the governor’s media handlers for “not doing enough.”
He said, “Even though Comrade is a very difficult person to manage, the least his handlers should have done the moment he dropped the “go and die” bombshell was to destroy the tape.
“I have read his apology. They didn’t manage it well. When you wrong somebody, it is better to simply say ‘I am sorry’. Trying to rationalize your action, like Comrade attempted to do in this instance, completely starves your sorry of oxygen.
“Now they have let out that Frankenstein monster out of the bag into the world wide web, it is going to torment Comrade and his party for a very long time,” he submitted.