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2 months ago
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Sources in the Presidential Villa have revealed how Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, ejected Senator Adams Oshiomhole from Aso Rock following a heated confrontation just 24 hours after the inconclusive All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election in February 2024.
The State House sources revealed that the former governor of Edo State made a desperate dash to the Presidential Villa after his preferred candidate, Dennis Idahosa, failed to secure the governorship ticket.
Oshiomhole was visibly enraged after the returning officer, Stanley Ugboaja, declared Monday Okpebholo as the APC candidate, A move that the senator saw as a direct blow to his influence after he got the Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, to announce Idahosa in a different exercise.
Determined to overturn the decision, Oshiomhole stormed the Villa in an attempt to secure President Tinubu’s intervention. However, upon arrival, he was met with an unexpected and hostile reception.
Femi Gbajabiamila, who has steadily gained prominence as Tinubu’s right-hand man, reportedly told Oshiomhole off, sparking a shouting match between the two political heavyweights.
“Gbajabiamila was having none of it,” a State House insider disclosed. “He made it clear that the President had no intention of revisiting the decision, and when Oshiomhole pushed back, things got ugly. It was a full-blown altercation right there in the Villa.”
According to sources close to both men, Gbajabiamila and Oshiomhole have not seen eye to eye since the incident. The tension has escalated to the point where they now avoid each other in public, and it is clear that the rift is deep.
“Oshiomhole felt betrayed. He had invested a lot in trying to install Idahosa, and to be shut down so decisively by Gbajabiamila was a slap in the face,” the source added.
The incident has also fueled speculation that Oshiomhole has not forgiven President Tinubu for what he perceives as a failure to support his political ambitions in Edo State.
Insiders claim that Oshiomhole’s current support for Okpebholo’s campaign is not out of genuine endorsement but rather a calculated move to sabotage the candidate and, by extension, undermine Tinubu’s influence in the state.
“It’s all a game for Oshiomhole now,” said a political analyst familiar with Edo State’s dynamics.
“He’s still nursing his wounds from the primaries, and by backing Okpebholo, he’s playing a long game to weaken Tinubu’s hold on the state. Oshiomhole is nothing if not a strategist, and this is his way of hitting back,” he added.
The tension surrounding the Edo governorship race continues to build, with many watching closely to see how the power struggle between Oshiomhole and the Tinubu camp will play out.
As the campaign heats up, it is becoming increasingly clear that the fallout from the February primaries has left deep scars within the APC, scars that could shape the political landscape of Edo State for years to come.
