Senator Adams Oshiomhole’s track record as a political leader raises serious questions about his judgment and accountability. By his own admission, he failed to effectively endorse and promote Godwin Obaseki during the governorship race in 2016. At that time, Obaseki was focused on his financial services company, Afrinvest, and was largely unrecognized as a viable political candidate.
Oshiomhole attempted to replicate the successful Tinubu-Fashola model from Lagos, favoring Obaseki over the more established Pius Odubu, the then-deputy governor. With backing from a wealthy Lagos-based businessman, Oshiomhole presented Obaseki as the transformative leader Edo needed, while disparaging Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Obaseki’s opponent from the PDP.
However, the initial success of Obaseki’s election quickly soured. Within a year, a rift developed between him and Oshiomhole, primarily over issues of resource control and political rivalry. When Obaseki switched to the PDP after being denied the APC ticket in 2020, he faced a hostile legislature dominated by Oshiomhole’s loyalists.
Oshiomhole’s efforts to atone for endorsing what he later described as a “bad product” by promoting Ize-Iyamu again backfired, as voters rejected the offer. In the end, Obaseki, along with his deputy, Philip Shaibu, successfully won reelection as a PDP candidate, highlighting Oshiomhole’s failure to navigate the complex political landscape he himself helped create.