Edo guber: Oshiomhole, Obaseki crisis too small to convene emergency NEC meeting — APC Spokesperson

Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, has dismissed the clamour to convene a NEC emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) to resolve the fued between the National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki.

There has been clamour from several party chieftains including the recent one fro party’s former National Auditor to curtail further escalation of the crisis ahead of the Edo State governorship party primaries.

However, reacting to the calls, the party’s spokesperson insisted that there is no need for meeting, insisting that it is not crisis but mere could contestation.

This is coming in thee heels of the party displaying certificates of all the six governorship aspirants seeking the party’s ticket for the Edo state governorship election.

The six aspirants who have bought, completed and submitted the party’s expression of interest and nomination forms include Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Governor Godwin Obaseki, Dr. Pius Odubu, Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi, Osaro Obazee and Matthew Aigbuhuenze Iduoriyekemwen.

Asked if there would be emergence NEC meeting to resolve the crisis between the national chairman and the Edo state Governor, Issa-Onilu, maintained that there is no need for it since the National Working Committee (NWC) is totally in charge.

“Why should there be emergency meeting, what is the emergency on? Is it on Covid-19?I don’t know about any crisis. Go from state to state, when you have politics you have conflicts and conflict to those of us who are practising politics is not crisis, it is contestation of interest.

“And if you go to any other state, you have things that are similar. The only difference this time is that the national chairman happened to be from Edo. Otherwise there is nothing strange in what is going on in Edo. What is important is that at the end of the day, whether the national chairman, whether governor, everybody is subjected to the same rule.

“That is what our constitution says. We (NWC) are involved in the day-to-day running of the party and this is part of the routine that we carryout, this is not the first time and whoever said that also is expressing view, which is also allowed in democracy,” he insisted.

Defending the decision of the ruling party to display the credentials of the aspirants and appeals to Nigerians to expose those involved in certificate fraud, he could not confirm if the party would be writing to their institutions to authentic their credentials.

“You know that it had been said that experience is the best teacher, we have had experience that are not so palatable. We have had experiences that are so shocking and we won’t be doing the right thing if we don’t learn from those experiences.

“You will recall what happened in Bayelsa, we thought we did the best we should, but it turned out that we did not do enough. So, the best thing we have to do now is to go beyond ourselves to the things that may not be known to us.

“Besides the fact that we have put it out here for anybody who has information to help the screening committee, we are also taking official steps to verify some of these documents to be sure that we do the right thing and we come out clean,” he insisted.

On whether the party will be contacting the institutions as claimed, the party spokesperson said: “By mere putting it on the board here, making it transparent, putting it before the public, it does mean that people who know them very well; school mates, aquintances, friends and even enemies could come up with whatever they have. We are expecting help from whatever angle it could come from.

“All we are interested in is that we ensure transparency, is to ensure that we comply with our own constitution, the electoral act and the Constitution of this country. Give everybody a fair chance and to be seen to have done our best,” he insisted.

The documents placed on the notice board at the national secretariat of the party, indicates that the incumbent Governor Obaseki, has three credits and three passes in his 1973 West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) submitted for screening.

It further claimed that the subjects Obaseki passed include: English P7, Literature P7, CRK C6, History A3, Geography C6 and Chemistry P8.

Although Obaseki proceeded to higher school, the Institute of Continuous Education between 1976-1979 before gaining admission into University of Ibadan, where he studied Classics, the party had promised in a statement last week to display various submissions.