By Eric Elezuo
The tussle for supremacy in Edo State politics between the All Progressives Congress (APC) Party Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, and Governor Godwin Obaseki, came to a head Friday, when the APC Governorship Screening Committee disqualified the candidacy of the incumbent governor, Obaseki, from contesting the governorship primary of the party billed for June 22, 2020.
The Chairman of the seven man screening panel, Prof. Jonathan Ayuba, announced that Obaseki was disqualified because the committee could not vouch for the authenticity of the Higher School Certificate he claimed to have, but could not produce. The committee, while presenting the report, which it claimed was conclusive and signed by all the members, to Oshiomhole, explained that the document Obaseki produced only attested to his attendance.
Exonerating the committee from complicity, Ayuba said the committee was thorough in the process of conducting the exercise, stressing that the process was recorded and the unedited recording would be made available to the party. The panel also disqualified two other aspirants, Matthew Aigbuhuenze Iduoriyekemwen and Chris Ogiemwonyi.
However, the embattled governor, and the supposed beneficiary of the Obaseki’s disqualification, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, reacted to the verdict of the committee.
In his reaction, Ize-Iyamu, who lost to Obaseki in the 2016 governorship election when he contested under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the party must move forward and leave the disqualification of his rival behind them. He called on all party stakeholders to rally round the party victory.
Prior to the screening, about seven aspirants allegedly withdraw their candidacy in support of Ize-Iyamu, and now three other frontline aspirants including Obaseki, have been disqualified, paving easy access for the anointed Ize-Iyamu to clinch the ticket.
Reacting to his disqualification, Obaseki rejected the verdict in totality, but surprisingly vowed not to appeal the decision, while pointing accusing fingers at Oshiomhole as the mastermind of the process. He wished the party chairman well in his efforts to distabilise the party, and urged his supporters to remain calm.
In a statement signed by his media aide, Crusoe Osagie said it was not necessary because Adams Oshiomhole has carefully orchestrated the move from the beginning.
“We have watched the mockery of the democratic process, which Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, is administering and superintending over in our great party the All Progressives Congress (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 the party that comprises several organs and eminent 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 Edo gubernatorial election.
“It is unfortunate that this open show of shame, illegality and travesty of justice is the brand of democracy which Comrade Oshiomhole has reduced the APC into. The situation is quite saddening because this is a party supposedly reputed for change, equity and social justice”.
“We have therefore decided that it would be an effort in futility to appeal whatever the unjust outcome of the evaluation and screening process of the APC will be, especially when Comrade Oshiomhole has declared that he is the Supreme Court and ultimate determiner of the fate and future of our great party.
“We wish Oshiomhole luck in his maladministration of the party and trust that the Almighty will help our country to find the path to true liberty, freedom and justice.”
Lending credence to Obaseki’s rejection of the verdict and attendant calm disposition, a former National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, said the party will suffer “dire consequences” in Edo State on account of the disqualification.
Also looking at the direction of the Oshiomhole, Odigie-Oyegun, who led the party to dismantle the 16 years rule of the PDP, described the outcome of the screening as a hatchet job aimed at installing a stooge that will allow some people unfettered access to the Edo Treasury.
In a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Chief Ray Morphy, the former chairman noted “that internal democracy has been murdered in APC, a party which we founded on the principles of fair play and good conscience!”
He continued: “I daresay that APC will suffer dire consequences in Edo state if this disqualification is not speedily reversed.
“As a matter of fact, Oshiomhole is indeed the one who is guilty of anti-party (activities), not Obaseki. Oshiomhole is the one who is acting unconstitutionally not Obaseki. I hope that Oshiomhole will not go down in history as the undertaker of APC.”
In his response however, Oshiomhole boasted that everything was done to protect the party constitution, and that necessitated the thoroughness of the screening committee. He noted that the party wouldn’t want to repeat another Bayelsa scenario as it has learnt its lessons.
But a former lawmaker, who represented Oredo East constituency in the Edo State House of Assembly and currently the Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Political Matters, Osaigbovo Iyoha, has accused Oshiomhole, of disregard for the rule of law,saying it will be the bane of the party in the forthcoming gubernatorial election.
It would be recalled that Obaseki, who is seeking the party’s re-election ticket, has enjoyed the national chairman’s festering support prior to 2016 until 2019 when the debacle between the duo surfaced in the public domain.
The origin of the feud could not be readily ascertained, but it became blown up when after the 2019 election, the new asssembly was due to be inaugurated. The Boss gathered that out of the 24 elected members of the House, 19 were answerable to Oshiomhole while only about five were loyal to Obaseki. For this, the Boss gathered, Obaseki hesitated from the inauguration.
Source told The Boss that there were plans to impeach the governor using the loyal legislators to Oshiomhole over acrimony that has been playing out between the duo not long after the inauguration of Obaseki’s administration. Both mentor and mentee have traded accusations bothering on the governance of the state. While Obaseki has alleged extortion of state funds, Oshiomhole has accused his successor of maladministration.
However, after the Oshiomhole lawmakers led by Julius Osifo, a former commissioner in the state, threatened Obaseki with repercussions if he fails to inaugurate the Assembly within seven days, the Obaseki camp reached out to the 19 other lawmakers, and was able to convert five. With 10 lawmakers on his side therefore, Obaseki hastily inaugurated the Assembly and Frank Okiye emerged the Speaker.
Both targeted the job of the other. At a stage, Obaseki was almost there when the federal High Court stripped Oshiomhole of his chairmanship position. He was about to be replaced when in a twist of fate, a superior restored status quo. He was able to breath a sigh of relief. And the battle continued.
Oshiomhole came for his pound of flesh, and almost trapped Obaseki with presenting phony academic papers from the University of Ibadan. But the University confirmed that Obaseki was actually a 1979 graduate of the institution. But Oshiomhole and his team were not done with the embattled governor. Again, he was denied screening, but admitted much later. Afterwards, Obaseki said he was not expecting any justice from the committee.
Speaking to journalists in Benin, Iyoha said the National Chairman has turned the APC to a one-man show, and is so obsessed to remove Godwin Obaseki from office. He also accuse the chairman of creating the Edo Peoples Movement, principally to push the governor out of office.
“For Oshiomhole, it is either Obaseki goes or he destroys the party. He is destroying the party’s ticket the way he destroyed Zamfara, Imo, and Rivers state tickets. I hope the party leaders and the President live up to their responsibilities and put Oshiomhole where he belongs.
With the exit of Obaseki from the APC list of aspirants, it is not hard to imagine that he would definitely choose to pitch his tent in another party to contest the forthcoming election. And the only he can decamp to, to make an impact, is the PDP.
Observers are wide eyed watching to see how the unfolding climaxes.
Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki was born on July, 1 1959 in Benin City, Nigeria. He was a prolific businessman before he ventured into the murky waters of politics. He was sworn in as the governor of Edo State on November 12, 2016.
Earlier to becoming governor, he served as the Chairman of the Edo State Economic and Strategy Team inaugurated by former Governor Adams Oshiomole in March 2009.
Obaseki holds post graduate degrees in both Finance and International Business,and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Stock Brokers, Nigeria.
Obaseki served as executive board member of several private companies including Afrinvest. In October 2019, he won the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) award for best performing Governor of the year.
According to Wikipedia, he attended the University of Ibadan, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Classics, and observed his mandatory one year National Youth Service, he served in Jos, Plateau State before moving to the United States to attend Columbia University and Pace University in New York, where he obtained an MBA in Finance and International Business.
He is married to highly articulate Betty Obaseki, and they are blessed with children.
Obaseki may be heading the way of Mr Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, who was also denied second term by the APC.
