Oshiomhole/Obaseki guber deal: Crisis hits Edo APC; governor panics; Oyegun sets up Oyinlola Reconciliation Committee
The insistence of Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State to impose Mr. Godwin Obaseki as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the September 10 election is causing tension among party members in the South-South state.
Already, the party is divided into three factions.
Some members are supporting Oshiomhole/Obaseki, some are backing the governorship ambition of the deputy governor, Dr. Pius Odubu and others are indifferent.
The crisis has also affected the House of Assembly.
Thugs with guns entered the hallowed chamber last week, shooting sporadically.
The Assembly Complex was sealed on Monday by security agents.
It is believed Oshiomhole wants to use his loyalists in the House to impeach Odubu.
On Monday, the dimension the crisis was going forced the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, to set up a reconciliation committee to ensure that the party does not lose the state to the rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Odigie-Oyegun is the first civilian governor of the state.
A party chieftain, Mr. John Obanor, told Freedom Online on Monday: “If Oshiomhole insists on having his way, I can tell you for free that APC will lose this state. Go and write it down. Now, he is in a panic mood, going to Lagos to rally some media people to support him. This will not work in Edo State.
“Who is Obaseki (Godwin) in this state? We don’t even know him. Let him count how many members of APC he knows in Edo State, not to talk of Edo indigenes in the PDP.
“If Oshiomhole is really a comrade that he claims to be, let him allow everybody to contest in the primaries. Why is he afraid? Why is he insisting that he must impose Obaseki? Why does he want Obaseki to cover his tracks?”
Freedom Online also learned that the deputy governor, Dr. Pius Odubu, has vowed that “Oshiomhole or anybody cannot stop me from contesting”.
It is believed Oshiomhole may have approached the National Chairman to quickly inaugurate the committee “because the crisis is getting out of hand”.
On Monday, Odigie-Oyegun set up the Finding/Reconciliation Committee headed by former Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.
The inauguration was done in Abuja and the mandate of the committee is to “look into immediate and remote problems affecting the party and stakeholders in Edo State”.
Other members are APC National Organising Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso (Vice Chairman); Senator Ndoma Egba; Hajiya Fatimah Mohammed and Alhaji Ahmed Abdullahi.
The Edo governorship primary is scheduled for June 18..
While inaugurating the committee, Odigie-Oyegun said: “I want to thank His Excellency, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Senator Ndoma Egba; Senator Osita Izunaso; Hajiya Fatimah Mohammed and Alhaji Ahmed Abdullahi for agreeing at very short notice to undertake this very challenging assignment to arrest the unfortunately deteriorating situation in Edo state.
“It is a matter for concern at all levels of party and government that a state we hold so dear to our heart; a state where there has been a lot of breakthroughs in terms of development that the state has not witnessed for a long time; a state under an APC Governor who has done so much to uplift virtually every part of Edo State that suffered neglect over a long period of PDP administration that just a matter of months to an election and weeks to primaries should be engulfed, so to speak, in the kind of unfortunate intra-party disputes at virtually all levels, party level, government level and now the state Assembly.
“You have been very specially chosen because of the extremely high level of integrity and demonstrated support of the vision of the party, to go to Edo State to restore normalcy within the fold of the APC.
“It is important to emphasise the fact that for us, Edo is a critical state strategically. I hope I would not be mis-interpreted, if I say it is also a must win state. So, your job in Edo is not just to restore peace and help restore normalcy in that state, but to also come out with suggestions that would restore the party in that state, to be a dependable political fighting force and ready to win the forthcoming election. I will also want you to go with a definite mandate and let everybody know that at the National level, we assure them that there would be free and fair primaries, and there would be for all aspirants a level-playing field. And we expect that in the run-up to the primaries, which we expect to hold on the 18th of June, that all aspirants must be given equal exposure by the party structures in Edo State. There is nothing wrong so to speak if influential individuals within the state, even the governor to state a preference in terms of the aspirants. We are a party of change and we must emphasize that in everything that we do, the example that was set with our presidential primaries. That was one of the major events that catapulted the APC to where we are today. And we are not going to go back on the need, the necessity, for free and fair primaries, which means that the party itself in the state must be as neutral as possible because all aspirants are our children.
“So, this is the message I want you to go with and do everything that you can to arbitrate in the state Assembly, Party and may be even at the executive level. A lot rides with the success of your assignment. In fact, I would almost say don’t come back until you have succeeded in restoring the party and the Edo state APC to health. So, I wish you the very best of luck. And God grant you the wisdom to undertake this assignment. Thank you very much for agreeing to serve”.
Oyinlola, in his reaction, said: “We want to start by thanking you on behalf of the rest of the committee members for finding us so worthy of this challenging assignment. We do realise that, it is very necessary for peace to prevail in all the state chapters of our party. And this is more expedient in Edo State where we have a serious gubernatorial battle to wage with the rest of the opposing parties very soon. I want to assure you sir that this assignment would be carried out diligently and without fear or favour. Whatever is the outcome will serve as the guidance to what would happen in our future engagement. So, Your Excellency, we assure you once again the trust you have in us to carry out this assignment would not be misplaced. God being our helper, we will finish on time and then deliver the outcome to you. We are indeed very grateful for finding us worthy”.
Meanwhile, the embattled Obaseki, on Monday, raised the alarm over alleged plot to frustrate his campaign by persons he described as cowards.
In a statement by the Obaseki Campaign Organisation, it described the attack on his campaign train at Sobe on Sunday evening as a sad commentary, urging all aspirants of the party to join hands with security agents in checking thuggery and attempt to create unnecessary tension in the state.
According to the statement, “Obaseki has been moving peacefully to visit delegates across the 192 wards of the state and has successfully been canvassing for their votes without running anybody down. The attack on his campaign train at Sobe while he was waiting to address delegates came as a huge shock to us.
“While we await the police investigation into the matter, we urge all aspirants of our great party, the APC, to caution their followers against violence and actions capable of bringing the party in a bad light. Prior to this attack, we had it on good authority that some hoodlums are being sent to our camp as spies and were mandated to cause chaos at any given opportunity.
“It is our strong belief that this election is not a do or die affair and it is not worth the blood of any person. Therefore, we must all comport ourselves as gentlemen and women in this race for governorship. Apart from our brother aspirants in the APC, we are also admonishing the PDP aspirants to toe the path of peace. Disrupting the campaign of any aspirant is not the best for any of us.
“Lets us all focus on how to convince our delegates to our side and jettison thuggery. At the beginning of this campaign, our opponents said our candidate is not a politician, he does not know politics but suddenly they realised that he is the man to beat because our people, particularly APC delegates, know the good, the bad and the ugly and you cannot deceive them. We urge our supporters not to be intimidated, to go about their duties as victory is sure” it stated.
