By Stanley Azuakola

If we didn’t follow the Edo gubernatorial elections as closely as we did, we might have thought that the election season in that state is still on.

The war of words currently ongoing between the Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole and the PDP candidate in that election, Charles Airhiavbare, is reminiscent of their frequent clashes in the build-up to the July 2012 elections.

Airhiavbare who lost the election, dragged Oshiomhole to the election petition tribunal sitting in Benin, arguing that the primary school Oshiomhole said he attended was not in existence at the time he claimed to have attended it. He also argued that the governor did not complete his secondary modern school programme.

Governor Oshiomhole had some harsh words of his own for the retired general.

Responding to a question from newsmen, Oshiomhole said, “The allegations are funny because his military and political career was founded in (sic) falsehood. Ironically, the guy who is saying that I did not go to school does not know the difference between United Nations and the World Bank. He does not even know the difference between European Union and IMF.”

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He laughed off the accusations by Airhiavbare, and criticised the PDP flagbearer for descending low and attempting to drag his name into disrepute. He said he was certain that his academic qualifications would vindicate him.

Continuing his acerbic retort, Oshiomhole said that, “While he (Airhiavbare) celebrated his being in NIPSS in 2008, I went to NIPSS in 1987. Assuming it is in his powers to destroy my educational qualification, my academic records in Nigeria and Ruskin College, Oxford are there. His claims are sad because he does not even know the difference between children and youths when he said he was going to create jobs for children rather than youths.”

NIPSS (National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies located) in Kuru, Jos, is Nigeria’s premier policy formation centre for bureaucrats, medium and high ranking civil servants, army officers, and private sector leaders.