Many observers, including former supporters of Hon. Paul Ohonbamu the erstwhile Edo State commissioner for Information and Orientation who resigned recently lamented his apparent lack of professional pride, firm guiding principles, and character.
They opined his integrity has been called into question after his unbelievable switch from being the image maker of Obaseki’s government for years, to suddenly teaming up against the Governor, his former boss, at the slightest threat to his second term ambition.
To many analysts though he holds the constitutional right to choose which group to belong, his action smack of a suicidal political move.
This is against the backdrop that he has presented himself as an unprincipled opportunist who cannot be trusted in the midst of the Oshiomhole and Ize-Iyamu camp. No doubt, he has brought upon himself the toga of a betrayal.
Threading consciously therefore, the Ize – Iyamu camp too will wonder whether he will not also jump ship and betray them like he did to his boss, Godwin Obaseki when the going gets tough.
Consequently, Hon. Ohonbamu has miscalculated and shot himself in the foot politically, many argue.
Pastor Olu-Martins has, through his comments on facebook, been the most vocal in condemning the political recklessness displayed by the former commissioner.
The facebook post quoted below suggests that Hon. Ohonbamu had prior to his resignation already failed to prove that he has the professional discipline and integrity required of the office he occupied.
*SCANDAL: HON. PAUL OHONBAMU’S INTEGRITY IS QUESTIONED*
“I traveled to Lagos with Ohonbamu and Pedro Obaseki to appear on Channels TV some months ago. By the next day, Ohonbamu who is commissioner for information had taken the next flight back to Benin, while the remaining two of us who are not government functionaries stayed behind for four extra days. When TVC, Channels, Silverbird were looking for media responders for Obaseki, Ohonbamu who didn’t tell us he was jetting back was nowhere to be found. I have just been waiting for a day like this to tell this story as I knew long ago that Ohonbamu’s exit was a matter of when, not if. Ab initio that man has been ambivalent.”
This is also corroborated by a story in The Sun NewsPaper on the 4th of June 2020, which indicated that prior to his resignation, Hon. Ohonbamu had already been relegated, and his duties taken over by other government officials, probably as consequence of his failure to exude reliability and trustworthiness.
His endorsement of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu against his former boss, a few weeks after his resignation is obviously proof that the government of Obaseki was right to have seemingly doubted his integrity and relegated him.
And now that Ohonbamu has declared support for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Olu-Martins attacked him with another facebook post in which he quoted the previous post.
“This was my impression about the former commissioner for information. I wrote this about a month ago. My impression went viral with many comments here and there. The ex-commissioner however took exception to my narrative on him. He went as far as taking to TV to throw jibes and personal insults at me and denying ever being disloyal to Obaseki. He even called Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu “Barabbas” which can’t be preferred to Jesus.
“Fast forward to three days ago, Paul Ohonbamu has gone back on his word to swallow his vomit by going to endorse Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. Whereas he has a choice to endorse whoever, he needn’t go on to deny that he hasn’t been ambivalent all this while…The man Ohonbamu lacks the character and integrity he often preaches about.”
Going by recent antecedents, many commentators align with rev. Olu-Martins, questioning the integrity and trustworthiness of Ohonbamu who speaks from both sides of his mouth thus cannot be trusted. And none of his actions could be taken seriously.
Ohonbamu having teamed up with the Obaseki’s main opposing camp; POI, it remains to be seen how the leopard would now suddenly begin to change its skin, and be wholly absolved without doubts and fears of possible betrayal particularly when the chips are down.
