Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, Sunday says he will disclosed his next political plan after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari and consultations with supporters.
Obaseki, who made this known on his official Twitter handle, however, thanked the people of Edo State and Nigerians for their sustained show of solidarity, support and goodwill in the face of injustice by the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship screening committee.
“I appreciate the sustained show of solidarity, support and goodwill from Edo people and Nigerians in the face of injustice by the All Progressives Congress screening committee. I will be making my next move known after I complete consultations with my supporters and meet with Muhammadu Buhari,” he said.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the party in the state, had in a meeting held Saturday mandated the governor and his deputy to secure their re-election bid in another political party.
The meeting attended by 68 leaders of the party, across the three senatorial districts, and presided over by the state chairman of the party, Anselm Ojezua, said the decision became necessary following the foreclosing of the governor’s chances of actualising his aspirations within the party.
The party’s leaders statement titled, ‘Edo APC rejects the disqualification of Godwin Obaseki, reiterates support for his second term bid and mandates him to secure another platform to run”, was read by the state chairman of the party, Anselm Ojezua.
According to him, we state here that since the National Working Committee of the party, through the machinations of the screening committee they set up, have foreclosed his chances of actualising his aspirations within the party. We have therefore mandated our beloved Governor and his deputy, to immediately explore all options going forward and we have resolved to support them unequivocally.
“We want to publicly state that we cherish them, we love them and we will do all in our power to support them at any time they may require same from us; that is the least we can offer at this time.
“That the purported disqualification of Godwin Obaseki from the list of contenders for the governorship race is totally unacceptable and falls short of acceptable moral and legal standards and smacks of mischief.
“Most unfortunately, by this disqualification, the screening committee has robbed the Edo state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, the most valuable asset they have to fly the flag of the party in the forthcoming governorship election.
“This is evident by the overwhelming endorsement of the entire party apparatus from the ward executive through the local government executive to the state executive and Indeed a cross section of the leadership of the party who have voluntarily offered their endorsement in writing. Therefore, by disqualifying governor Godwin Obaseki from the race, Oshiomhole has disqualified all of us”,he said.
While enjoining members of the party to remain calm and prayerful, he noted that “this shall pass, there are better days ahead of us and that they must continue to organize and mobilize unceasingly as the date of election draws near.
However, the Adams Oshiomhole’s faction of the party in the State has demanded the expulsion of the state governor Godwin Obaseki from the party.
The faction, at a press briefing, yesterday in Benin City said the governor violate article 21, sub-section D5 of the party’s constitution.
David Imuse, the acting state chairman of the faction who addressed the press briefing also recommended the expulsion of a former woman leader of the party, Aisosa Amadasun and Anslem Ojezua, the factional chairman of the party loyal to governor Godwin Obaseki.
Imuse, who declared himself, the authentic chairman of the party in the state, opined that governor Godwin Obaseki and the two others went to courts in violation of the APC constitution “to shop for injunctions and rulings to circumvent the processes of law and the provisions of our party constitution in defiance of democratic norms”.
He however, described the disqualification of the governor by the party’s screening committee from contesting the party’s governorship primary election as the best decision and an “affliction that shall never rise a second time.”
“It should be stressed that after the bitter experience of losing the governorship of Bayelsa State in court after a well-deserved victory in the elections, it would be foolhardy to allow a candidate with dodgy and faulty academic credentials to fly our party flag in the September 19th, 2020 poll”,he added.
However, Anslem Ojezua described the recommendation as illegal, adding that “they (Imuse faction) would be charged for contempt of court.”
