Edo 2020 Guber: PDP Woos Obaseki, after his disqualification by APC

By  ANDREW ESSIEN, Chibuzo Ukaibe, Patrick Ochoga

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is poised to receive the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, into its fold following his disqualification by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The opposition party wants him to fly its flag in the September 19 governorship election in the state, LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered yesterday.

Although the PDP leadership, through its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, had denied any political deal with Obaseki, it was learnt that the opposition party is proposing to set up a team of governors and leaders to smoothen the governor’s defection to PDP.

It was also learnt that the team will also seek to appease aggrieved PDP aspirants to allow Obaseki contest the election on the PDP ticket.

Obaseki’s likely move to PDP follows of his disqualification yesterday by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Screening Committee, which screened aspirants wishing to fly the party’s flag in the forthcoming governorship election.

The screening committee disqualified Obaseki , Chris Ogiemwonyi and Matthew Iduoriyekemewen from participating in the primary election, leaving Pastor Eze-Iyamu, Dr Pius Odubu, and Osaro Obazee to vie for the ticket.

Obaseki had hinted of his disqualification shortly after his two-hour meeting with the committee on Wednesday, declaring that he was not confident of getting justice in the process as long as the APC national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, remained an interested party in the process.

The duo have been engaged in a fierce battle for the control of Edo State.

However, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) who pleaded anonymity told our correspondent that the party was ready to receive Obaseki, adding that the party had been studying the friction between the governor and his estranged political godfather, Oshiomhole.

“We have been following the situation. We have been reaching out to his people. It’s been a long process. But we are also mindful of our party members who are aspirants.

“I believe the party will delegate some governors to interface with Obaseki as well as appease the other aspirants if the governor agrees to move to our party. It is unfair to treat an incumbent governor that way,” the PDP chieftain said.

Meanwhile, Obaseki has denied defecting to the PDP after his disqualification, saying he was not ready to challenge his disqualification by the APC.

His special adviser on media and communication, Crusoe Osagie, when contacted, said the claims were speculation, saying Obaseki will make his next political move known in the next few days.

He stated: “It is expected that people will speculate that Obaseki has moved to the PDP. However, in the next few days Obaseki will make his move known to his numerous supporters in the state”.

While disqualifying Obaseki from participating in the APC primary election, chairman of the screening chairman, Prof. Jonathan Ayuba, said there were inconsistencies in Obsaeki’s certificates.

Prof. Jonathan Ayuba said, “We are staking our integrity,  the integrity of the process in this country in order to arrive at what we have done. Mr chairman, our report is conclusive. Every member signed and has agreed with what we have decided at the committee level. This is essential because we want to be judged by what we have done and what we are presenting.

“We were thorough in the manner in which we conducted the exercise. We recorded live the interaction with each of the aspirants. The unedited clip is what we are giving as part of our report. We want to be judged by what we have done and not by what a third party says or by rumour.

“The methodology we used is clear. It was evidence-based. All we did was an interaction. We screened six aspirants, three were eligible to contest and three were deemed ineligible to participate. The first candidate was Mr Osaro Obaze. The committee after screening and the verification of the candidate’s documents, found him eligible to contest the primary. Based on the committee’s observation above, the candidate was cleared.

“Though His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki in his nomination form claimed to have obtained a Higher School Certificate (HSC) from an Institute of Continuing Education, Benin,it was observed however that no educational certificate such as HSC is known in Nigerian educational system. Even then, the same HSC was never presented in the course of the screening exercise. The aspirant admitted that he has never collected it.

“The attestation from the Institute of Continuing Education, Benin, from where the alleged HSC was obtained, which was indicated in the field of attendance,  is of no consequence,  as it only attests that Obaseki was a student of the institute. So what we had was like – it was just an attendance, it was not a result.

“Although, the Committee received a petition on his University of Ibadan Bachelor of Arts Classics certificate which he submitted to INEC in 2016, when he first contested as governor, the committee on further probing was presented with an original certificate issued by the University and the original was sighted.

“On the NYSC certificate dated 6th August 1980, the committee observed that he bears the name “Obasek” Godwin. While this may be an error on the part of the issuing authority, we observed however that the aspirant had not taken any step ever to have the anomaly corrected by the issuing authority.

“In our interaction with issues raised, we concluded that HSC was defective, then there is the NYSC certificate and based on the institution, this has made us recommend that the above candidate, Obaseki, is not eligible to participate in the election”.

As for the other aspirant, Chris Ogiemwonyi, the committee said the name on all the certificates presented by the aspirant are in contradiction with one another.

“Also the sworn declaration of age deposed to by one Capt. Steven on 3rd June, 2016, bore two conflicting names of the aspirant. Considering the discrepancy in all the certificates presented and also the difference in the names contained in the sworn affidavit of June 2016, and having regards to the Federal Republic of Nigeria,  the electoral Act, APC constitution and the party’s guidelines for the nomination of candidates, an reliance on cases that had been settled by the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, it is the considered view of the committee that this aspirant does not meet the requirement to participate in the primary of the APC.

“In view of the findings of the committee above, Engr Chris is not cleared,” the screening committee chairman stated.

I Won’t Appeal My Disqualification – Obaseki

Governor Obaseki, however, described his disqualification by the APC screening committee as a mockery of democratic process, adding that he will not contest its verdict.

The governor, who is rumoured to have concluded plans to seek the PDP governorship ticket, said all that transpired amounted to an illegality perpetrated by Adams Oshiomhole, the party’s national chairman.

A statement signed by his special adviser on media and communication strategy, Crusoe Osagie, pointed out that the governor had cried out that he would not get justice.

He stated: “We have watched the mockery of 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 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 to. 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 had 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.

“We call on all party members and the teeming supporters of Governor Obaseki to remain calm and await further directives,” he said.

It’s A Hatchet Job – Oyegun

Meanwhile, immediate past national chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, yesterday described the disqualification of Obaseki as hatchet job.

In a statement signed by Odigie-Oyegun’s public affairs adviser, Ray Morphy, the former national chairman said, “The disqualification of Obaseki by the APC Screening Panel is a hatchet job aimed at installing a stooge that will allow some people unfettered access to Edo State’s treasury.

“While not a surprise, that disqualification is a clear indication that internal democracy has been murdered in APC, a party which we founded on the principles of fairplay and good conscience!

“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”.

Odigie-Oyegun further noted that it was Oshiomhole who was acting unconstitutionally, not Obaseki.

“I hope that Oshiomhole will not go down in history as the undertaker of APC”, he added. (Leadership)