…accuse him of dropping President Buhari’s name to clinch guber ticket
Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin
The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress in Edo State is far from being over as loyalists of the party’s National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, insisted at the weekend that Governor Godwin Obaseki must go through direct primary to secure the ticket for the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
Oshiomhole’s loyalists’ insistence on the conduct of direct primaries for all aspirants seeking the governorship ticket of the APC in Edo State came against the backdrop of the alleged claim by Governor Obaseki’s camp that the party national chairman had been directed by President Muhammadu Buhari to deliver him as the governorship candidate in the September 19, 2020 poll.
The primary for the election of the APC governorship candidate for Edo State is scheduled for June.
Obaseki and his predecessor, who is also his estranged godfather, have been at loggerheads over the control of the party machinery in Edo State, culminating in the recent suspension of Oshiomhole from the office of the APC National Chairman.
Embattled Oshiomhole was, however, restored to his office by the Court of Appeal, which nullified the ruling of the lower court.
Obaseki was also said to be at the forefront of the APC governors, who recently plotted the removal of Oshiomhole from office.
But the APC national chairman’s loyalists told our correspondent that Obaseki and his camp had been peddling lies that Oshiomhole had been given a presidential directive to ensure that the incumbent governor emerged the party’s governorship candidate in the June gubernatorial primary in the state.
An APC chieftain in Edo North Senatorial District, Chief Imode Sullivan, accused Governor Obaseki and his loyalists of dropping President Buhari’s name in his desperate bid to secure the party’s ticket for the September governorship election.
Sullivan argued that since the party at the national level had put an end to godfather-ism, Governor Obaseki should rather begin to prepare for a direct primary along with other aspirants for the governorship ticket.
According to him, “APC says no to godfather-ism, Obaseki should present himself for direct primary. The APC members have agreed to forgive the repentant Obaseki, but he should be ready to swim through the same stream he pushed the young man into.
“It is correctional justice, they claim. Direct primary or no APC. How far Adams Oshiomhole goes in honouring the so-called infantile agreement remains to be seen.
“The fans of Obaseki’s Four-Plus Four-Movement hope Oshiomhole bounces back as the godfather to impose Obaseki on the other heavyweight contestants.”
Imode recalled how Obaseki and his supporters had fought strenuously to reduce Oshiomhole to nothing and to even disgrace him out of the office of the APC national chairman recently.
He accused Governor Obaseki of dropping commissioners nominated by Oshiomhole from his cabinet, sacking council chairmen loyal to the APC national chairman, refusing to inaugurate 14 members of the state House of Assembly believed to be loyal to Oshiomhole and revoking the party chairman’s Certificate of Occupancy while threatening to demolish his residence in GRA, Benin City.
Imode further accused Obaseki of submitting petitions against all Oshiomhole’s nominees in the boards of Federal agencies and working against the appointments of Hon Odubu, Hon Samson Osagie, Hon Victor Ekhator and so many other prominent Benin sons into Federal Government bodies.
He alleged that Obaseki ensured that Oshiomhole became a laughing stock nationally and internationally by using false propaganda against the APC national chairman.
The APC chieftain stressed that party members had resolved that since other aspirants were as qualified as Obaseki, the governor should prepare to contest for the governorship ticket against them.
Speaking in the same vein, a former minority whip of the House of Representatives, Hon Samson Osagie, denied the existence of any presidential directive that Governor Obaseki should be given preference in the forthcoming governorship primaries in Edo State.
Osagie said it was disturbing that the governor’s “media urchins” could go to town and start peddling lies that there was a presidential directive to the APC national chairman that Obaseki should be given the “right of first refusal” in the run-up to the governorship primaries.
He said, “I laughed profusely at the naivety of these kids and grimaced at the sheer wickedness of one of the relatives of the governor, who went on air to announce same.Where is the provision for right of first refusal in the APC Constitution?
“This is nothing but a clear case of living in denial of the obvious reality on ground in the politics of the APC primaries soon to be held. In a way it is blackmail as well a calculated gimmick to give the diminishing following of the governor a false sense hope under an obvious condition of despair.
“Nothing can be farther from the truth. Edo State governorship election was not a subject of discussions at the governors’ meeting with the President or indeed at any of the fora leading to the well-deserved triumph of the National Chairman over the forces that sought to oust him from office prematurely. Those announcing it were nowhere close to Abaji or Aso Rock or even the Court of Appeal Abuja.
“Governor Obaseki keeps pretending that the National Chairman is the one fighting him, whereas he is the one fighting the National Chairman and numerous leaders across the state.
He added, “His combination of blackmail and terror as an instrument of gaining political control against party leaders and the National Chairman drove him into the frenzy of deploying huge state resources into the failed “Oshiomhole-must-go project,” which he coordinated with other retrogressive forces and funded from the Edo State coffers. Oh, what a pity! Edo State is the loser for it!
“Talking about reconciliation, Obaseki, strangely through his media adviser, Crusoe Osagie and Don Pedro, are drumming it as if the Akande’s Committee on reconciliation never existed before Obaseki deployed Edo State resources in the removal of Oshiomhole. Who is deceiving who? Obaseki should reconcile himself at home with party leaders and members whom he has been seeking to decimate and stop living in denial or blackmailing the National Chairman by reminding him that cases are still in court against him. The National Chairman is capable of defending himself.”
