The raging battle of titans for the All Progressives Congress, APC’s gubernatorial ticket has reached a feverish level. The intra party war and scuffle to secure the majority votes of delegates is at the verge of consuming the party ahead of the gubernatorial election scheduled for November 10, 2016.
The once cohesive party became polarized along aspirant’s interest and primordial camps when three months ago the Comrade Governor, Adams Oshiomhole who said he cannot remain aloof and watch helplessly as to who succeeds him declared his preference for Dr Godwin Obaseki.
Obviously irked by the governor’s disposition which they perceived as synonymous to imposition, the other APC aspirants spanning over sixteen decided to gang up for the singular purpose of fighting the Governor as recently seen when they jointly signed a petition to the national leadership of the party alleging plot to manipulate the party delegates lists.
The already tensed atmosphere became aggravated when at a meeting of party leaders, Governor Oshiomhole raised alarm over plot by his Deputy, Dr Pius Odubu to kill him via voodoo and it assumed a frightening dimension penultimate week following the assassination attempt on the Deputy Governor who was on a meet the delegates tour of Etsako West, Etasko Central and Etsako East Local Government Areas While the dust raised by the assassination attempt on the convoy of Dr Pius Odubu was yet to settled down, another aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, APC Godwin Obaseki and his supporters, last Sunday , narrowly escaped death when armed men reportedly opened fire on his convoy at Sobe, Owan West Local Government Area of Edo state in what appeared to be a reprisal attack. Obaseki who expressed shock over the incident said he was compelled to cancel the meeting with delegates and that he will not be intimidated . “I called off the meeting with the delegates because I had to be whisked off by my security men. No one was hurt though, I cannot be intimidated, whoever did this has failed because we will continue our campaign”, he said.
From the array of aspirants jostling to succeed Governor Oshiomhole and judging from their heads deep into the race , involvement and commitments, political analysts have come to logical conclusion that the political pendulum of the APC ticket may either settled for Godwin Obaseki, the Head of Edo State Economic Team, Dr Pius Odubu, State Deputy Governor or Dr Chris Ogiewonyi, former Minister of State for Works For the APC delegates in the state, it is certainly a harvest period as they are daily seen at the famous Sapele road in quest of finding out the cost of their choice cars from car dealers in anticipation of the juicy outcome of the ongoing meet the delegates session by aspirants who are currently desperate not only at wooing them but possibly buy their votes at all cost.
Already some of the delegates from Oredo Local Government Area have had course to scamper through the locked windows to meet an aspirant at home when thugs allegedly invaded the party secretariat, the venue earlier scheduled for the meeting
Engineer Chris Ogiemwonyi
Ogiemwonyi, a former Minister of State for Works under former President Goodluck Jonathan administration is a gentle and highly intelligent man. He defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress in 2014. He is also the former Managing Directors, Nigerian Gas Company Limited and Group Executive Director, NNPC, ( 2005-2007) (2003-2005]) (2007-2009) respectively. He equally enjoys goodwill and recognition from the highly respected Benin palace. The late Omo N’ Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolor, Oba Erediauwa accorded him a royal bead as a mark for his meritorious service to the nation when he retired home.
There are indication that he has the backing and support of the National Chairman of the Party, Chief John Odigie Oyegun who equally shared similar societal values of sincerity, integrity, hard work, discipline and self discipline with him. Chief Odigie-Oyegun has equally allayed fear by the aspirants over alleged plot to manipulate the delegate lists. ‘’All the primaries will be free and fair as far as I remain the National Chairman of the party. There will be no alteration and the delegates list is under key and lock. If there is any justified reason that someone who is a delegate is late or has left the party, the party will critically look at the reason and carry out or effect the genuine change’’, he said. Ogiewonyi political opponents and critics are not at ease with his impeccable track records throughout his almost thirty five years in service, a development they claimed was uncommon with an average typical Nigeria civil servant. His campaign billboards and banners boldly carried the inscription “Mr Integrity”.
He recently challenged other aspirants to an integrity test and tasked party delegates to the primary to probe aspirants contesting the ticket Ogiemwonyi is a graduate of the University of Benin. He bagged a B.Sc. (Hons) in Applied Physics in 1974 and obtained a post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in Petroleum Engineering in 1976 from University of Ibadan. He was also at Harvard Business School for top management course.
He is a celebrated technocrat and a professional. His daily acceptance and infiltration into the minds of the delegates as aspirant to be voted for, continue to soar day by day, waiting to explode and spring surprises at the Ogbe stadium, venue for the party’s primary come June. Meanwhile a Pro- Ogiemwonyi Campaign Group has also called on delegates to the forthcoming All Progressive Congress, APC, primaries to put integrity of aspirants as a determine factor in electing candidate to fly the party’s ticket.
Coordinator of the group, Comrade Phillip Osaro, in a statement said what the APC need to move the state to another level is a candidate with proven and untainted public service. While noting that the state under the watch of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has continued to witness progressive transformation in all sectors, Osaro said the state cannot afford to slide back to the dark days. ‘’We are concern about the character and pedigree of who picks the APC ticket and that is why we are appealing to all the delegate not to sell their votes to money bags rather a man with track record in public service and integrity”
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Godwin Obaseki
Obaseki is the chairman, Edo State Economic Team and the preferred candidate of Governor Adams Oshiomhole Although before now, he was generally touted by political analysts as likely to pick the Edo APC governorship ticket from the support he enjoys from the incumbent Governor, but recent development has however shown that he needs to work very hard to get the party’s ticket He does not only has the support of Governor Oshiomhole, he is the chairman of Edo State Economic Team in the last seven years The fears of the professional politicians are not unconnected with the fact that Obaseki, been a technocrat may likely not protect their interest if he eventually emerged the Governor.
But what appeared to bring ray of hopes for his candidacy was seen over the weekend when the party chairmen in three Etsako’s Local Government Areas unanimously led their delegates to endorse his candidacy, being the anointed candidate of their illustrious son, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole The meeting was coordinated by the member representing Etsako Federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Mr Philip Shaibu. Chairman of APC in Etsako West, Alhaji Abubakar Akokhia, who displayed the signatures and pictures of the delegates to newsmen , said delegates from the area have scrutinized all the aspirants in the race and concluded that Obaseki remains the best to succeed Governor Oshiomhole.
Obeseki remains the engine room of the present administration and the economic brain to the wonders that Governor Oshiomhole has been able to perform in the state in the last seven years in areas of road constructions, regular payment of workers salary amidst the dwindling federal allocations, red roof revolution and massive infrastructural development across the three senatorial districts Some co-aspirants, like the Commissioner for Works, Barr Osarodion Ogie, who was said to have been penciled down to head his campaign team soon after the primary has since collapsed his political structure in his favour while his public acceptance appeared to be gathering momentum by the day Godwin Obaseki serve on the Presidential Committee on the Reform of the Nigerian Pension System. He also served on the Committee on the Re-activation of the Nigerian Bond Market set up by the Securities and Exchange Commission. He is an active member of the NSE and currently serves on its Governing Council.
The lingering odds against him, according to his critics borders on the grounds that he is been imposed on the party and that as a capitalist he may not do the bidding of party leaders. He has equally acknowledged the seeming gang up against him, particularly from co-aspirants but said they will fail. Justifying why Governor Oshiomhole settled for Obaseki, a Chieftain of the party, Rev. Michael Egharevbha said the fear of getting Edo State enmeshed in financial moribund and desire for continuity and accountability in governance makes Oshiomhole to settle for him.
According to him ‘’The continuity we want is progressive continuity and not redundant one, not a desire to be a governor by all means. History has shown that those who are desperate about governorship never get it. Obaseki just came and he has been with us. We now need a better reason to fill the golden shoe that Oshiomhole is leaving. We don’t cast aspersion because we are all in the same party, Obaseki can do the job and after eight years any other person can come
Dr Pius Odubu
Odubu is the deputy to Governor Adams Oshiomhole. He hails from Orhiomwon Local Government Area of the State. He was a former member, Federal House of Representatives between 1999-2006, 2007-2011 and has been an outstanding loyal Deputy to the Governor in the history of Governor/ Deputy relationship in the State.
His relationship with the Governor hit the rock recently when the Governor in a meeting of party leaders said Odubu plot to kill him via voodoo, reason why he avoided attending [Odubu] wife’s birthday, an allegation the Deputy Governor denied saying “the allegation was being fuelled by mischief makers and blackmailers who are bent on destroying his cordial relationship with his boss. “I will by the special Grace of God, continue to disappoint the dubious expectations of those who are bent on driving a wedge between me and the Comrade Governor. It is my nature and character to be loyal to those who God has set over me because they are His instruments’’
“At times like this, blackmailers are at their best but I have decided to take solace in God who knows the hearts of men, trusting and believing as always that God will vindicate the just” ,he posited. “It is an old and tired concocted lie to tarnish my image in the eye of the public. It is politically motivated. You are aware that the governorship election is around the corner, and I am one of those vying for the APC ticket. They failed when they tried it during my re-nomination as deputy governor in 2012, they certainly will fail again now.”
He maintained, that his relationship with his boss has remained cordial over the years adding that “Oshiomhole has acknowledged this severally that i am the best deputy governor in Nigeria and the most loyal deputy governor in the country. I have received several recognition and awards from reputable organizations including the Guardian Newspapers. I believe I have done my bit by providing and complimenting the effort of Oshiomhole.”
His supporters and foot soldiers who expected the Governor to repay his loyalty with the governorship ticket are serving commissioners in the State who for reasons known to them would not want to be seen openly indentifying with him for now.
Odubu’s loyalty to the Comrade Governor , according to critics, may have been proved wrong with his decision to toe a parallel line and declared his interest to run for the governorship race as against the wish of the Governor who ordinarily would have expected him to demonstrate the much talked about loyalty at this critical moment His ambition suffered a setback, a week after he officially declared his intention to run for the governorship election following assassination attempt on his life in Auchi while on a tour of the three Etsako’s Local Government Areas.
In a swift reaction, members of the Odubu Campaign Organization who consequently petitioned the National Chairman of the party, Chief Odigie- Oyegun and the National Working Committee on the urgent need to curtain the excesses of some power drunk politicians in the state ahead of the gubernatorial election said the attack was not only directed at the Deputy Governor but perpetrated by those they claimed dread a free, fair and credible democratic contest Director of Strategic Research and Planning of the campaign organization, Hon. Samson Osagie who enumerated instances where a number of persons considered to be loyal to the governorship ambition of the Deputy Governor were illegally suspended and removed from office opined, “This to us is the height of naked display of power of cruelty, animosity, intolerance and man inhumanity to man
“No fewer than five persons including State Security Service officer, escort police attached to the Deputy Governor were severely injured during the attack which has been described by the State Commissioner for Information, Prince Kassim Afegbua as false and self inflicted while the APC chairman Etsako West , Alhaji Abubakar said the shootings were carried out by suspected thugs that accompanied the Deputy Governor to the venue Odubu’s critics have always pin-point at his abysmal representation of the constituency, Orhionmwon/ Uhunmwode Federal Constituency as a federal lawmaker between 1999-2007 under the Peoples Democratic Party.
