By Akinwale Kasali
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has slammed the APC Governors for keeping quiet while one of their own is being humiliated.
Wike spoke after Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki visited him at the Government House Porthacourt.
Recall that the APC, on which platform Obaseki is Governor, screened him out, this disqualifying him from running for a second term in office under the APC ticket. The Party said he was disqualified for not having the right educational qualification.
But most Nigerians, including Wike laughed off the reason for Obaseki’s disqualification.
Overall has a first degree in Classics from the University of Ibadan, a certificate which has been confronted by the University administration, through its Registrar, Olubunmi Faluyi.
But the screening committee set up by the APC, led by the National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, still found reasons to screen him out. His fate was a consequence of his bitter quarrel with Oshiomhole, his enstrange political godfather.
Now, Obaseki has become a political orphan, looking for a platform to run for the Governorship of the state in September.
His first port of call after his disqualification was PH where he met the PDP strongman, Wike to brief him of his desire to fly the PDP ticket.
While none of them disclosed what they discussed, Wike has come out like a smoking gun, mocking Oshiomhole. He asked:
“How can somebody without a certificate disqualify somebody eith a certificate. He says Obaseki’s certificate is defective, but let him even produce his own defective certificate”
He wondered how a sitting governor would be disqualified over certificates, and slammed his colleague -APC Governors for doing nothing, and saying nothing since Obaseki’s disqualification.
Obaseki’s stands a good chance of clinching the PDP governorship ticket.
Hours after visiting Wike, he ,also, visited the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel in Uyo, for the same purpose. It is shuttle diplomacy to smoothen his way into the PDP, and clinch the ticket. He may succeed.
The PDP, Presidential Candidate in the 2019 General Election, Atiku Abubakar, has given Obaseki’s bid of winning the Governorship ticket of the Party a boost, as the former Vice President has, allegedly called on other PDP Aspirants to embrace Obaseki and sheath their swords and ambitions.
The magazine cannot cinfirm, but it was gathered that Atiku, through some of his aides, is persuading the other three PDP aspirants already screened for primaries to embrace Obaseki’s candidacy.
Obaseki is not leaving any stone unturned to get PDP’s sole ticket and he is in touch with the state PDP leadership and some of the party’s governorship aspirants.
Investigations reveal that the Governor is making a case for his deputy, Phillip Shuaibu, who is seen as too rigid. The PDP is asking him to drop him so that they can have a sense of belonging by putting one of them (PDP) as the deputy to retain the slot despite the alliance.
Shuaibu has been described by some political watchers in Edo as a dependable, loyal, reliable, resourceful and understanding deputy with large followership across the state.
Sources in Edo politics informed the magazine that Obaseki was disqualified from APC primaries by Screening committee because the APC saw Shuaibu as a threat, and were not willing to have him ride on with Obaseki for the second term bid having seen Obaseki marketing a Obaseki/Shuaibu ticket at the beginning of his reelection engagements ahead of Edo 2020 governorship poll. The APC wanted another candidate as his Deputy.
Meanwhile, Accord Party, (AP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Action Democratic Party (ADP) have offered Obaseki automatic ticket for September 19 governorship election in the state.
Obaseki via a post on his micro blogging website, Twitter, on Sunday, told his supporters that he would reveal his next move after meeting Buhari.
“I will be making my next move known after I complete consultations with my supporters and meet with @MBuhari,” he wrote.
Edo State APC Crisis: No Individual Is Bigger Than Nigeria – Clark
Meanwhile, South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has condemned the disqualification of Obaseki.
In a statement issued on Monday, Chief Clark said:
“I condemn, in the strongest terms, the disqualification of the incumbent Governor of Edo State, by the APC screening committee under the leadership of a Professor, Ayuba Jonathan, over alleged inconsistencies in the Governor’s academic credentials.
“I am indeed, very disappointed and embarrassed that Professors, noted for rationality, judiciousness and erudition, should now be allowing themselves to be used by people, who, educationally, are not their peers.
“The goings-on in Edo State are a repetition of what happened at the Lagos State Governorship primaries of the APC, in 2018, where the then Governor was removed in a primary, which did not exist.
“It was a shame that the team that was sent to Lagos to conduct the APC Primaries, at the time, under the leadership of a past Governor of Cross River State, who had categorically stated at a Press Briefing, that there was no primaries, and that they were going to hold the primaries the following day. But, recanted his words, and later said there were primaries held. What type of party leadership is that?
“There is no doubt that there is no one that is indispensable, but to treat fellow party men, and countrymen, in the manner that was done to the former Lagos Governor, and now to Governor Obaseki, is most horrendous.”
