Oshiomhole Returns, Says He was Not Hospitalized Abroad

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Monday, January 6th, 2014

By Femi Kehinde

Comrade Governor, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has debunked the rumours that he was fatally injured in the December 28, 2013 auto crash and hospitalized abroad.

Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole

While presiding over the first state executive council meeting for the year on Monday, Oshiomhole narrated his story thus:

“It is true that on December 28, 2013, at about 10am, I was heading from my village to Benin City to receive the Vice President who was visiting Uromi to attend the birthday celebration of Chief Tony Anenih. Even though he was on a private visit, I am obliged by protocol to receive him.

“I believe somewhere in Ewu, a bus that was packed with goods veered off its lane and headed straight to my car and hit the car. But for the fact that the car is armored, it would have somersaulted given its impact and the bus driver was clearly on high speed.

“The luck however was that we were not on speed and so it was possible for the vehicles in my convoy to stop, otherwise, all the vehicles would have ran into my car and one thing would have led to the other”

“All of us in the car, my ADC, driver and myself were all having our seatbelts on. The airbags were all activated. Nothing happened to any of us. I still went to the airport to receive the vice president after the accident.

“They say the devil is a liar. It does not matter what they say. God delivered all of us, none of us was injured in any manner. All those stories about being hospitalized and being under intensive care in an undisclosed hospital are figments of the imagination of those who were parroting the story.

“The important thing for me is that anything could have happened. The driver passed the first three vehicles and went straight to hit the one that I was in. You would recall that on the eve of the campaigns for 2012 election, that same car was the one I was driving and a vehicle in a similar manner came and rammed into a car I was supposed to be in.”

On Sunday, the state commissioner for information had confirmed that Oshiomhole was in abroad but insisted he was not receiving treatment.

However, many Nigerians have continued to ask why it took the governor about 10 days to make public appearance after the accident. And what was the reason(s) for embarking on a trip shortly after the accident to an undisclosed foreign country.