By Jethro Ibileke
The immediate past chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, has narrated how Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of President Bola Tinubu begged him to return the the Ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
The former Senator representing Edo south senatorial district, also disclosed how the former governor of the state, Adams Oshiomhole apologized to him, for allegedly giving his senatorial ticket to another aspirant of the APC.
Urhoghide who spoke on Saturday in Benin, emphatically disclosed that he has finally deleted the PDP from his blood.
This is coming barely one month after he dumped the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the party on who’s platform he represented the Edo south senatorial district at the national assembly.
Urhoghide who spoke on Saturday in Benin, the state capital, stated that the PDP has finally been deleted out of his life because of the way and manner some of the members campaigned against the party’s candidates during the recently conducted national and state elections.
According to him, “PDP missed it by losing quality members. I have not even declared for another party but a lot of my supporters in PDP have assured that they will go wherever I go. I have not carried my ambition to any platform. When we get there, I will decide. If it is LP, I’ll go, if it is APC, I’ll go but certainly not PDP. I have deleted PDP.”
Commenting on the 2024 gubernatorial election in the State, Urhoghide said that he was still studying the terrain from the sidelines as he mulls his next political move, noting that he will probably run for the plum position.
He declared: “As for the 2024 governorship, I have not ruled out anything. In this power game, it’s God that gives power. If it falls within the perfect will of God, I’ll do it.”
Senator Urhoghide confessed that he has actually been under pressure from friends, associates and former colleagues in the APC to come over to the ruling party.
He said that should he decides to pitch tent with the APC, it will be home coming as he was a foundation member of the Action Congress of Nigeria, one of the legacy parties of the APC before he left for the PDP.
Senator Urhoghide explained that if it borders on association, he’ll straight away go back to the APC, disclosing however that there are a few things that bothers him which he is still trying to sort out as he doesn’t want to join a party and be dumped after promoting it with his expertise and resources.
He added: “The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Senator Olamilekan, Senator Abidu, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, Senator Kyari, Senator Ovie Omo Agege, were all colleagues and friends and have pleaded with me at one time or the other to come back home to the APC. So, there is nothing that really hinders me. If I go back to APC, I’ll be going back to my family.”
He continued: “The present national chairman of APC was my colleague. So, I don’t need any introduction. Is it Senator Godswill Akpabio who is now the Senate President? Is it the Deputy Senate President Barau? They are all my friends and former colleagues.”
Looking back, he said that he has since forgiven and made up with former Edo State governor, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC- Edo North) who unceremoniously shoved him aside during the run up to the 2011 senatorial primaries of the APC in favour of Senator Osaze Uzamere, a defector from the PDP.
He said: “I don’t think, I have problem with anybody anymore. Comrade Adams Oshiomhole took my ticket and we have since settled that issue. I have told him that I have forgotten about it. With much respect to him, Comrade humbled himself to apologize to me, not once, not twice, not three times to the extent that I got embarrassed.
“The last time that we met at the summit of NDDC in Lagos, he told me what happened in 2011 and I replied that unless I am a wizard, I’ll still be nursing that against him.”