From Tony Osauzo and Ojieva Ehiosun Benin
The simmering internal disagreement within the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has continued, forcing a governorship aspirant on the platform of the party, Barrister Casely Omon- Irabor to withdraw from the contest. The aspirant who addressed journalists in Benin yesterday, accused the national leadership of the party of engaging in secret agreement to manipulate the outcome of the primaries in favour of Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s anointed candidate.
He also accused the Prince Olagunsoye Oyinola’s panel set up by the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie- Oyegun to address the crisis in the state chapter of the party, of being part of the governor’s team to foist the preferred candidate on the delegates.
Omon- Irabor, while describing the APC as a party of strange bed fellows who would, “neither sleep nor allow their neighbours to sleep”, said aspirants were in utter delusion that there was vacancy in Government House, Osadebe Avenue, GRA Benin-City without taking cognizance of a third party playing out.
“It started as a rumour and before we knew it, there was a recruitment of a surrogate aspirant by the incumbent. I and four others met and sent a protest letter to the National Executive Committee of our great party; we were subsequently summoned to Abuja, but the anointed Prince was not in attendance.
“That, however, failed to deter us from speaking our minds; we subsequently discovered to our chagrin that in spite of the assurance given to us in Abuja, the National Executives were in secret agreement with the Osadebe Government House to manipulate delegates against all aspirants except the anointed one.
“There were shootings and a false alarm of counter shooting which prompted the National Executives to set up the Col. Olagunsoye Oyinola’s panel to look into our petition and get a lasting solution to the Edo problem. But the panel later turned out to be part of the Osadebe House campaign team. The head of that panel informed us point blank that the incumbent is the greatest governor Edo State ever had and it would be fool-hardy not to support his choice.
Omo-Irabor quoted Olagunsoye, saying that: “if not for the achievement of the incumbent, all of you here will not be contesting; and if you are nominated without his support, we will lose this state to the opposition; after all, there is nowhere in the world an incumbent will not have a preferred candidate”, during a meeting he allegedly held with the aspirants in Benin.
According to him, most embarrassing in the development was that all local government chairmen, members of the State House of Assembly, Commissioners and all government office holders have been coerced into coughing out money to induce the delegates, adding, “they shamelessly accompanied their ‘baby’ to Abuja to submit his ‘JAMB’ (nomination forms)”.
The former governorship aspirant said he and his colleagues will not leave the APC but remain to build it.
“Our collective decision after consultation (against all expectation) with relevant stakeholders is to stay put in our party, the APC and chase the crazy bald head out of town. It is our party, we will develop and build it; we are not political nomads, we will form a formidable group within the party to frustrate and stamp out thuggery, intimidation, lawlessness and outright robbery.
“We the radical elements within the party will team up together and prove to the reactionaries that the party can win or lose election in Edo State with or without the Emperor in Osadebe’s House. We have resolved with whatever legal or extra legal means available to us to resist and stop this rape on democracy, for those who make peaceful change impossible, make violent change inevitable”.
Barrister Omo-Irabor, however said a third force would emerge that would determine the party’s candidate.
Odubu expresses concern over primaries
Barely three days to the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries, the state deputy governor and an aspirant in the governorship race, Dr. Pius Odubu, has spoken about the process, saying it is giving some party members and aspirants cause for concern.
Specifically, he referred to some persons who are allegedly moving from ward to ward collecting people’s Permanent Voter Cards.
The deputy governor who clarified that there was never a time Governor Oshiomhole told him not to contest because he was doing two terms as deputy governor, explained that God is the driving force behind his aspiration.
“God Himself is the driving force and I am looking up to Him to favour me in this nomination and the general election”, Odubu said.
Royal father cautions politicians over election violence
With few days to the All Progressives Congress(APC) primaries, a royal father, the Onojie of Ekpon, Igueben local government area of Edo State, Prince George Edobor has called on politicians and their supporters to exercise caution during and after the Saturday primaries in the state.
He made this appeal in his palace at Ekpon when some party aspirants, Pius Odubu, Kenneth Imasuangbon, and Tina Agbarha including the Deputy Speaker of Edo House of Assembly, Dr. Justin Okonoboh visited him. Hesaid: “I want to use this medium to formally welcome you all to Ekpon. As you can see, our people are peace loving and law abiding citizens. Our politicians and their supporters should know that this is just the primaries and not the general polls, so there is every need for us to caution ourselves, supporters as well as our delegates.
‘’We want a violent free election and you should be able to keep to the rules because since the creation of Edo state 25 years ago, Edo State has never been involved in an election crisis, so I advise that we should continue to live as one indivisible entity.
not minding our political beliefs and associations. Edo state is one and shall continue to remain as one. Whoever loses this primaries should see it as a game and accept it with the spirit of sportsmanship; he or she should take a queue from the former president who had every power, yet conceded defeat.”
As a royal father, I do not belong to any political party, but my duty is to play an advisory role which I am doing right now. I have prayed for our governor, I have prayed for you the aspirants, I have prayed for the peace of Edo State, and I will continue to do same and let the will of God be done.”
APC’ll conduct transparent primaries –Deputy Speaker
Deputy Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, Dr. Justin Okonoboh, has assured politicians and aspirants of the APC that the party primaries will be free, fair and transparent more than ever before.
The law maker said the time of imposition and manipulation of party primaries is over in Nigeria, stressing that it was an APC’s free and fair primaries that brought President Mohammadu Buhari to the top and that the executives of the party would not do anything that will destroy the image of the party in the state.
“There is no need for our people to be afraid; I believe in the constitution of our great party, I’m an advocate of transparency, equity, fairness and justice. Nobody will intimidate anybody, our National chairman is a man of high integrity, so also the state party boss. They have said that the primaries would be totally free and that is how it is going to be.
‘’Every delegate has the freedom to vote his or her choice; someone that is capable of taking Edo state to its pinnacle of glory. No doubt, there are many aspirants capable of taking over from the Comrade governor.
But the thing is that at the end, only one candidate will emerge as the party’s flag bearer and everybody will support such a candidate to ensure that the mantle of leadership does not leave the APC camp.
‘’And I want to say that only the best candidate will be given the ticket of APC. Nobody can force a delegate to vote against his or her wish; what is important is how to ensure that no manipulation is allowed; let the best and the people’s choice emerge. What I do know is that the primaries will shock many people. The one the people look down on will finally emerge”.
PDP elects delegates
The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has elected ad hoc delegates, who will elect the governorship candidate of the party on June 20, 2016.
The election, which was held in all the 192 wards of the state, was monitored in some wards by a committee sent by the national caretaker committee of the party and members of the state working committee led by the state chairman, Dan Orbih.
Members of the Committee include a former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, as chairman, a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Steve Oru, as secretary; Dr Akilu Ndabawa, Hon Bobo Misau, Barrister Nonye Nwangu and Hon Ejike Ani as members.
In most of the Wards across the state, including those in Ikpoba-Okha, Oredo and Egor local government areas, consensus arrangement held sway to produce the three delegates per ward arrangement.
Speaking on the conduct of the exercise, former Governor Gabriel Suswam expressed satisfaction in the exercise, remarking that with the support given the exercise by party stakeholders, the PDP in Edo State was committed in reclaiming Edo from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“I’m satisfied. I’m particularly impressed with the enthusiasm and commitment of the people, especially the chairman and his members, stakeholders and the aspirants.
“We held a meeting with them and we can say that all of them are on the same page. The entire stakeholders of the PDP in Edo State are very committed in this exercise and are involved in the exercise.
“The PDP is a party that believes in due process. The caretaker committee of the party selected us to come and conduct this exercise that will lead to the election of who becomes the candidate of the party.
“Because of the seriousness attached to the exercise, the PDP selected prominent Nigerians. We refused to remain in our hotels and expect report to be brought to us. We wanted to be sure of what comes out of the exercise”, Suswam said.