Cajetan Mmuta 
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Edo State and the man behind the controversial suspension of immediate past National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, in his ward 10, Etsako West Council Area of the state, Stephen Oshawo, yesterday said he has no regret taking that decision.
Oshawo’s action had contributed to Oshiomhole eventual removal from office last month.
Oshawo, chairman of the APC in ward 10 (Akpana) in Etsako West Local Government in Edo North senatorial district, spoke during an award ceremony bestowed on him in Benin, the state capital.
The award of honour for good governance was given to Oshawo by the Chief Executive Officer of Mega House Entertainment, Goodluck Osama Ogbeide, for being an outstanding political icon of the year.
Oshawo described the award as a pat on the back for standing up to eliminate godfatherism from the politics of the state, stressing that it would spur him to do more to always stand up for what was right.
He said when he was the chairman of ward 10 when Oshiomhole was the governor of the state, his pension was not paid for eight months, stressing further that moments after Godwin Godwin Obaseki took over from Oshiomhole, it did not take him up to a month for him to receive his pension.
According to him, “I am very happy over the award. This award means a lot to me. It means that I should continue to do what I have done that warranted this award, because I believe in truth, transparency and also elimination of godfatherism.
“What gave me the mind to do what I did is that I was there before and now I am here. And that I know the different between there and here, I decided to cleave to now which I know is the modern life of today. You know, this government believes in development and in the masses.
“The truth is that, when the former governor was in power, I was an insider; I was the chairman in ward 10. I suffered many things and nobody knew me or recognised me.
“As chairman to the governor of the state, I couldn’t receive my gratuity as a pensioner and as a chairman to Oshiomhole when he was still the governor of the state, I was not able to get my pension for eight months but when Godwin Obaseki came in, it didn’t take him up to a month, he paid my gratuity and not only me, but all the pensioners in Edo State.
