27th December, 2019
By Jethro lbileke
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has said the suspension of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole from the party still stands until he apologises.
The governor said this during an expanded meeting with leaders of the APC from all the wards and local government areas in Edo North held at Jattu-Uzaire, Etsako West Local Government Area of the state.
The meeting had in attendance, the Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu; Edo State APC Chairman, Mr Anselm Ojezua; members of the state executive council, as well as party delegates and leaders at wards, local government councils, state and national levels.
Obaseki maintained that the party and its members did not support godfatherism in the state, adding, “If you behave like a godfather, we will fight you.”
He said due process was followed in the suspension of Comrade Oshiomhole, and that any action taken by the suspended National Chairman remains ultra vires.
Obaseki stated that the National Chairman could only be considered back into the party when he apologised to members of the APC, noting that Oshiomhole could not take any action on behalf of the APC because he was validly suspended from his ward.
“Can you imagine a National Chairman that is creating problems in his own house? Because of that, we had to suspend him and he remains suspended. We pray that God should have mercy on him because he has done something bad against God and the people of Edo State; he should find his way back into the party and apologise to all of us.
“If he comes back remorseful and apologetic, we will consider taking him back. If you cannot be a disciplined member of the party, you will leave the party, whether you are a National Chairman or not,” Obaseki warned.
The Governor said he sympathised with the Deputy Governor who was deceived by Oshiomhole, a man whom he had always looked up to in politics, describing his deputy as a trusted friend and strong politician.
According to him, “[Oshiomhole] cancelled the primaries that were initially done by the party at the state level for the 2019 general elections and did his own. Because he could not control us at the executive, he manipulated the legislature so he can use the House to impeach us.
“Oshiomhole thought he was setting a trap when he chose Philip Shaibu as my Deputy and Osarodion Ogie as Secretary to the State Government. He was thinking that we will always quarrel, fight and then run to him for settlement.”