The All Progressives Congress, APC, has disqualified Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki from contesting at the party’s primaries scheduled to hold on June 22.
Surprisingly, in his spontaneous reaction to his disqualification, Obaseki, who has been locked in a running battle with the party’s National Chairman and former governor of the state, Adams Oshiomhole, said that he would not appeal his disqualification.
Working through its seven man screening committee, the party also axed two other aspirants including Matthew Aigbuhuenze Iduoriyekemwen and Chris Ogiemwonyi from contesting at the exercise which is barely ten days away.
But it cleared Osaro Obazee, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and Dr Pius Odubu to contest in the exercise.
The panel disqualified Obaseki on the grounds of his allegedly questionable National Youth Service Corps certificate and the Institute of Continuing Education Benin City testimonial.
Besides, it declared that the decision by both Obaseki and Iduoriyekemwen to drag the APC and the national chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to court in defiance to the provision of the APC constitution as the basis for the decision.
It further justified the decision to disqualify Ogiemwonyi on the basis that there was inconsistency in the names on the documents presented to the screening committee.
Receiving the report, Oshiomhole expressed gratitude to members of the committee adding that it behoves on aspirants dissatisfied with the findings of the committee to take their case to the appeal committee instituted by the party.
He said that the decision to screen the aspirants harmonised with the resolve of the party to deepen the tenets of democracy in the country.
Ogiemwonyi, who was sighted at the national secretariat of the party, was overheard saying that he would surely appeal the decision of the screening committee
Shortly before the announcement of the screening result, the govermor’s spokesperson, Crusoe Osagie, had said they expected that the Oshiomhole-led party would announce the disqualification Friday afternoon.
He said in a statement earlier on Friday: “Like he stated recently that he is the Supreme Court and the ultimate determiner of the fate of aspirants for governorship seat under the APC, he has executed his pre-conceived agenda of stopping Governor Obaseki from flying the flag of the party, at all cost.”
According to the statement: “After pushing the failed narrative about Governor Obaseki’s educational qualification and meeting a brick wall with the University of Ibadan’s response, he resorted to using his characteristic brute force to disqualify the governor.”
Obaseki: Oshiomhole orchestrated my disqualification
Reacting to the disqualification, Obaseki, in a statement signed by Osagie, said it was not necessary because Adams Oshiomhole had carefully orchestrated the move from the beginning.
The governor appealed to his supporters to remain calm, and wait for further directives.
He said: “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.”
