Battle For Edo: Obaseki In Forgery Scam As Oshiomhole Tightens Noose

By Fola James

Governor Godwin Obaseki has been accused of parading a falsified Bachelor’s of Art certificate.

The development is the latest in the power struggle in the state after the governor, on Thursday lost his commissioner of Information, who resigned from his position, a setback for the governor’s bid to retain power till 2024, his critics say.

His Chief of Staff had earlier resigned in April.

The Edo helmsman is currently embattled with a strong foe, Adams Oshiomhole, former governor and National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

In a bid to pour water on the power crisis between him and his former ally, the governor has recently bowed to pressure from the National Leader of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to settle the crisis in the state house of Assembly.

Appointed to broker truce in the divided Assembly are Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state, Simon Lalong (Plateau) and Senator Ehigie Uzamere.

But it does seem the opponents of his re-election bid have not given up on the plot to stop him.

Three persons, Edobor Williams, Ugbesia Abudu Godwin and Amedu Dauda Anakhu have filed a suit filed before a federal high court in Abuja, accusing the governor of forging his First Degree certificate from the University of Ibadan.

His accusers said the forgery has made him unqualified to contest the governorship election coming up in September.

According to them, the offence contravenes section 182(1)(i) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.

As such Obaseki is “not qualified to run or seek the office of the governor of Edo state” in the forthcoming 2020 governorship election,” they said in the suit.

Meanwhile, Alex Ejesieme, counsel to Governor Obaseki has dismissed the allegation as false.

The governor, during the week, lost in his bid to arrest the APC chairman for corruption, after a federal court in Abuja ruled that the state government cannot arrest the former governor for corruption, based on an indictment by a judicial panel.