The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday disqualified Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State from contesting the party’s primary slated for June 22 over alleged discrepancies in his results.
The party also disqualified two other aspirants, Chris Ogiemwonyi and Matthew Iduoriyekemwen.
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The chairman of the screening committee, Prof. Jonathan Ayuba, while presenting the panel’s report to the National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, said Obaseki was disqualified due to discrepancies in his A-Level result which he claimed he obtained from the Institute of Continuous Education in Benin.
The panel also picked hole in the NYSC certificate presented by the governor.
It said the litigation instituted against Oshiomhole and the party was in violation of the APC constitution.
Those cleared by the panel are; Osagie Ize- Iyamu, Dr. Pius Odubu and Osaro Obaze.
Responding, Oshiomhole said any of the aspirants that is not satisfied with the report should appeal.
The party had last week constituted an appeal panel.
Governor Obaseki and Oshiomhole have been at loggerheads over the governor’s second term bid and other issues.
The feud has polarised the party in Edo State.
Obaseki is the second sitting governor to be denied the ticket of the APC.
First to lose the party’s ticket was former governor Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos State.
Like Obaseki, the feud between Ambode and the national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, led to the defeat of the former Lagos governor.
Unlike Obaseki, Ambode was cleared by the screening committee in September 2018. He was, however, defeated at the primary of the party held in October same year. In the direct primary, Babajide Sanwo-Olu polled 970, 851, while Ambode scored 72,901 votes.
Why I won’t appeal—Obaseki
Reacting to his disqualification, Obaseki said he would not appeal. Through a statement by his media aide, Crusoe Osagie, the governor described the action as a mockery of the democratic process.
“We have watched the mockery of the democratic process which Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is administering and superintending over in our great party, the APC. It has been an unfortunate, disheartening and dreadful spectacle.
“We had initially asserted that going by the open display and enthronement of illegality by one man in a party that comprises several organs and personalities, there is no way that Governor Godwin Obaseki would get a fair assessment in the run-up to the nomination of candidates to fly the flag of the party in the forthcoming election,” he said.
He however called on party members and supporters of the governor to remain calm and await further directives.
Obaseki’s disqualification a hatchet job—Oyegun
Meanwhile, the immediate past national chairman of the APC, Chief John Oyegun, has described Obaseki’s disqualification as “a hatchet job.”
Oyegun in a statement by his Public Affairs Adviser, Ray Morphy, said the disqualification was aimed at installing a stooge that would allow some people unfettered access to the Edo treasury.
“While not a surprise, that disqualification is clear indication that internal democracy has been murdered in the APC, a party which we founded on the principles of fair play and good conscience.”
Obaseki’s APC faction holds emergency meeting
The factional chairman of the Obaseki faction of the APC in Edo State, Aslem Ojezua, said they saw the disqualification coming due to the antics of the party leaders.
Asked whether Obaseki and his faction will leave the APC, Ojezua said, “I just told you that we will hold meetings tomorrow, as you are aware, a decision of that nature can only be made in a collective manner,”.
The publicity secretary of the Oshiomhole faction, Chris Azebamwan, commended the screening committee for ‘doing a good job’.
He said Obaseki was disqualified based on discrepancies in his credentials, saying the only thing left for him if he feels unjustly disqualified is to appeal to the party’s appeal committee and it ends there.
Obaseki free to join us – PDP
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, told Daily Trust yesterday that the party was open to all Nigerians who wish to join.
He said, “The PDP is a party of processes and procedures. It is a party that believes in transparency and its membership is open to all. We have not foreclosed Nigerians from joining our party.
“But for now, we have no official information about Governor Obaseki coming to the PDP. So I can’t go further on this,” he added.
Also, the Edo State chapter of the PDP said its doors were open to anybody who wants to join the party.
“Of course, we will accept Obaseki like any other Nigerian who wants to join our party,” he said.
The PDP publicity secretary, Chris Nehikhare, told Daily Trust that he Obaseki is free to join the party.
Two more battles for Oshiomhole, APC
With the disqualification, Oshiomhole and the APC have two other battles to fight.
The adoption by the National Working Committee (NWC) of APC and approval by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the Edo governorship primary be conducted through direct primary mode was against the law recently gazetted by the state government to curtail the spread of coronavirus.
Obaseki in a gazette signed on May 28 banned political gatherings that could make direct primary possible in the state.
Also, there are pending litigations on the forthcoming primary of the party. One is at the Court of Appeal and another is before the Federal High Court sitting in Benin. The high court on Thursday stated that its ruling that no action should be taken on the party’s primary subsists pending the decision of the Court of Appeal.
APC govs mum
Meanwhile, governors who are members of APC under the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) have kept mum over the matter.
Some members of the forum had after visiting the APC leader, Ahmed Tinubu, thrown their support for the second term bid of their colleague.
But yesterday, the spokesman of Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, the PGF chairman, Yahaya Sarki, declined comment, saying, “The governor has travelled to Abuja, may be you can contact him there.”
The Director General of the PGF, Salihu Lukman, did not reply a text message sent to him on the matter at the time of filing this report.
