JUST IN: Obaseki Vows Not To Appeal Disqualification From APC Primary Poll

Edo State governor has said he will not appeal his disqualification to contest in the June 22 governorship primary election of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state.

MERIDIAN SPY reported earlier the screening committee of the party, led by its Chairman, Jonathan Ayuba disqualified Obaseki because they could not confirm the authenticity of the Higher School Certificate he claimed but could not produce.

While presenting the committee’s report to the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee, Ayuba said the document the governor produced only attested to his attendance.

Reacting, Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie described the process as “unfortunate, disheartening and a dreadful spectacle”. 

“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. It has been an unfortunate, disheartening and dreadful spectacle,” said Osagie.

“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 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.

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

Recall the governor, days ago, demanded that the national chairman recuse himself to allow for fairness, stating that he is an interested party.

“I am using this opportunity to call on Comrade Oshiomhole to recuse himself from the Edo nomination process because he is an interested party,” he said.

“It is against natural justice for a man to be a judge in his own case.

“So I think the honourable thing to do is to recuse himself and let us have a free process and let us reconcile and build our party.”

The governoship election in the state is scheduled in September.