Tony Osauzo, Benin
Leaders and members of the All Progressives Congress in Edo State have expressed their implicit confidence in Adams Oshiomhole as the national chairman of the party.
They also said the State Executive Committee of the party stands by the 17 exco members of Ward 10, Etsako West Local Government Area, who have publicly denounced the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole at his ward level.
According to the leaders, the purported suspension of the national chairman was the machination of Governor Godwin Obaseki, using nine erstwhile members of the ward exco who had earlier been suspended by a majority of the ward executives.
Addressing journalists in Benin City on behalf of the leaders, factional State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Chris Azebamwan, said in the unfolding drama of the conspiracy to remove Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as the national chairman of the party, it was unavoidable that Edo State would be in the eye of the storm because Oshiomhole is from the state and chief benefactor of Godwin Obaseki, who is now hell-bent on disgracing him from office.
Recalling how the state got to the present state of affairs, the leaders said: “Against all permutations and against all persuasions, Adams Oshiomhole appealed to the political class in Edo State to accept Godwin Obaseki as his successor.
“At each campaign rally, it was Oshiomhole that held the microphone. Godwin Obaseki was colourless and bereft of words. He did not have anything to say for himself. But because of the tremendous respect we all had and still have for Oshiomhole and his enormous goodwill with the people of Edo State, we all keyed in.
“Immediately after Godwin Obaseki was sworn in as Governor of Edo State, he ran away with the government. He said he was not interested in politics and in his ignorance and naivity that government is a product of politics”.
The leaders said in pursuance of his convictions, the governor embarked on a process of making the State Executive Committee of the APC an arm of the state government, alleging that “meetings were held in Government House, resolutions were drafted there and signatures on the attendance list were appended as if they were signed in support of the resolutions.
“The immediate past state chairman, Anselm Ojezua was little more than a special assistant to the governor. He could be seen carrying the hand luggage of the governor on his frequent junkets to sign MoUs that did not manifest into any meaningful benefit for the people of Edo State”.
They explained that that was the reason two-third majority of the State Working Committee signed a resolution of a vote of no confidence on Ojezua on November 12, 1999, adding that the resolution which was ratified two days later by the National Working Committee of the APC, also suspended the governor, Mr Obaseki, his deputy, Philip Shaibu and Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie.
The party leaders stated that Obaseki’s insistence on Ojezua as chairman of the party shows his resolve and determination not to submit himself to party supremacy and discipline, just as they accused him of spending the state resources in trying to compromise party officials and government appointees in an effort to remove Oshiomhole from office.
But in his reaction, Governor Obaseki denied being responsible for the travails of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
“We want to reiterate that the state governor is not behind the travails of the suspended national chairman. Comrade Oshiomhole is only reaping the consequences of his actions and inactions while he served as the national chairman, some which include the efforts to destabilise the party in the state.
“Others are his tactless handling of the crisis in the state chapters across the country, including the conflicts in Zamfara, Adamawa, Taraba, Rivers, Bayelsa and other states where his draconic stance cost the party dearly”, Obaseki’s Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, said in a statement in Benin.
He said Azebamwan was not qualified to speak for the party as he had been suspended, even as he urged him and his co-travellers in the EPM to take advantage of the window provided by the governor to seek re-admission into the APC.