By Onazena Abbey, Benin-City
The lingering crisis between the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and his godson, Governor Godwin Obaseki, has snowballed into suspension and counter suspension of members by the two warring faction.
Leaders and critical stakeholders loyal to the Oshiomhole group has slammed on the Governor Godwin Obaseki, his deputy, Comrade Phillips Shaibu, Secretary of Edo State, Mr. Osarodion Ogie and the state chairman of the party in the state, Mr. Anslem Ojezua.
The group accused Governor Obaseki of striking a deal with the rival People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to run on the party’s platform in the 2020 governorship election.
Spokesperson for the group, Hon. Patrick Ikhariale, said the governor had already paid a whopping N3 billion to secure the PDP ticket for the forthcoming election, an allegation which the Edo State chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, promptly dismissed as ‘untrue’.
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He said Ojezua has only succeeded in polarising the party and causing disaffection among members
His words, “We hereby endorse the recent removal of Ojezua by members of the State Executive Committee of the party and we urged the National Working Committee to urgently ratify the removal to pave way for the full restoration of Peace and discipline in the party.
“We have also suspended Governor Obaseki, his deputy, Phillip Shaibu and Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie for anti-party activities. We have it on good authority that the governor wants to cause crisis in the party so that he can defect to the PDP and has paid the party N3 billion to secure the ticket with a promise to pay additional N3 billion once he gets the ticket.”
But in a swift reaction Special Adviser to Governor Obaseki on Media and Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said the purported suspension of the governor and others by the group was ‘not only illegal but done in a private residence’.
“What they did is not known to the party. Firstly, some members in that meeting which was held in house of an individual is not a party meeting.
“They should have held the meeting in the party secretariat if it was real. Some of them have been suspended from the party so they do not have the right to do what they did.
“Today, a leadership meeting of the party was held today where the suspension of the national chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was ratified. But Governor Obaseki remain focused in governing the state.”
Only last week, the 18 APC local government chairmen in the state passed a vote of no confidence on the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole over his alleged role in the crisis rocking the state chapter of the party
The purported suspension of the national chairman of the party in a statement signed by the state chairman of the party, Anslem Ojezua, said the decision was necessary to prevent a repeat of what happened in Zamfara State, where the party was unable to field any candidate in elections.