IT is an open secret that the battle for the control of Edo State will be fought and won within the All Progressives Congress (APC). The dramatis personae in the unfolding drama are the incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki and his estranged godfather, who, incidentally, is the national chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
The party faithful and Edo indigenes have been living witnesses to two battles fought in the state between the two with Pyrrhic victory. First was the battle for the control of the State Assembly. While the APC national chairman had backed Honourable Victor Edoror, the preferred candidate of Governor Obaseki Honourable Frank Okiye won the coveted seat.
The National Assembly threat to take over legislative functions in the state except Governor Obaseki issued a fresh proclamation was aborted by a Court pronouncement. Delivering the judgment in a suit brought by YekiniIdiaye, the deputy Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, and Henry Okhuarobo, the member representing Ikpoba-Okha State Constituency, Justice Kolawole Omotosho of the Federal High Court Abuja had in a ruling declared that the national assembly could not compel Governor Godwin Obaseki to issue another proclamation within the lifespan of an existing proclamation for inauguration of Edo House of Assembly.
The court also ruled that NASS lacked the power to take over the functions of Edo House of Assembly or any other House of Assembly in the country.
Justice Omotosho further declared that the NASS lacked the power to direct the Edo state governor to issue a fresh Proclamation to the Edo State House of Assembly as this would lead to extending the tenure of members of the House of Assembly.
APC proclamation
The Edo chapter of the party was polarised into factions last November.First to move against Comrade Oshiomhole was Anselm Ojezua the chairman of the party in the state, who axed his secretary, Lawrence Okah and the APC National chairman.In a reprisal action, a faction with Colonel David Imuse and Okah as chairman and secretary, respectively at a press briefing in Abuja announced the suspension of governor, Godwin Obaseki, his deputy, Honourable Phillip Shaibu and Secretary to the State Government, OsarodionOgie.
The statement read in part:” The purported suspension of Mr. Lawrence Okah and his subsequent removal from office is a nullity and we hereby pass a vote of implicit confidence on him and so he remains the state secretary of All Progressives Congress, Edo state chapter.
“We note with grave concern a resolution by an unknown organ of APC in Edo State claiming to have passed a vote of no confidence on the National Chairman Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole and suspending him from the party. This development would have been laughable if it did not have serious implications for the overall integrity of our party.
“Their decision is unconstitutional and it is unheard of for a lower-level party hierarchy official to want to take disciplinary action against an official or organ on a higher level. We, therefore, pass a vote of implicit confidence on the national chairman, Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole and the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress.”
The final gang-up
Comrade Oshiomhole who last March, survived a plot against his ouster as national chairman had assured the party stakeholders of his commitment to truce and genuine reconciliation in the party. The plot to remove him as national chairman was believed to have been instigated by majority of the governors who took offence over the suspension of their former colleagues, Rochas Okorocha and Ibikunle Amosun and the war of attrition between Governor Obaseki and his immediate predecessor, Oshiomhole.
“Let me also say that I am the first to admit that I am not the best chairman in the world and I will never be. But no one can fault the sincerity of my purpose. My style can only be my style. But I recognise that I must reconcile my style to others so that we can meet in the middle of the road.
Findings revealed that, for its candidate to emerge, the party’s constitution makes provision for three options: direct, indirect and consensus. A party source told the Nigerian Tribune that Obaseki camp has been pushing for the indirect option, as against the direct adopted by the party national secretariat. First to kick against the party guidelines for the Edo State primary was the deputy national chairman North, Senator Lawan, who in a press statement, accused Oshiomhole of usurping the functions of the National Executive Committee of the party. Senator Lawan, in the statement entitled: APC and its Future: Let us exercise caution,” argued that the unilateral composition of the committees, guidelines and regulations for the Edo and Ondo governorship primaries without recourse to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party was a serious breach of the party Constitution and warned of dire consequences. He stated: “With regards to Ondo and Edo primary elections, there is already absence of transparency. The regulations issued that will guide the processes are already in violation of Article 20 (v) on page 76 of the APC Constitution as amended where only the National Executive Committee is the only organ that SHALL approve such guidelines and regulations which includes the mode of nominating our candidates. I am crying for APC inside me!”
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