- Obaseki: Oshiomhole’s dangerous to APC, NDDC, if…
- Oshiomhole: Obaseki ungrateful, doesn’t want peace, truce..
- Oba of Benin, diplomats, Others step in.
By Dotun Akintomide, The New Diplomat Online Editor
Political concerns surged at the weekend as Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, and the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole deepened the crisis rocking the APC in the state as both exchanged fiery words and opened fresh cans of worms.
The blistering war of words and raging altercation have heightened serious apprehension amongst mutual friends of both Obaseki and Oshiomhole, who had expected some cessation of hostilities, while working to enlist the intervention of pragmatic diplomats, neutral political icons, religious doyen, and development pundits to help put off the ballooning political crisis.
Oshiomhole had on Saturday claimed that he only pleaded with Obaseki to nominate only a Commissioner into the Governor’s cabinet in 2016, stressing that his decision to do so was borne out of his resolve to compensate the said nominee for his pioneering roles in ensuring that APC was formidable in Edo State. He also debunked claims that he attempted to be a Godfather in Edo politics.
“My own embarrassment is when they say, Oshiomhole wants to be like a godfather. If I wanted to be, then I will be nominating Commissioners. I only persuaded him to accept one Commissioner from me, only one and I gave my reasons and that was because Mika was a founding member of my campaign organization in 2006.
“Other than Mika, I did not nominate any Commissioner; I did not nominate any Special Adviser, Special Assistance because, for me, these are governance issues. So where is the godfather from?” Oshiomhole had said in a statement released by his Chief Press Secretary, Simon Egbuebulem.
Read also; Edo 2020: As Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu, Others Go for Broke!
But Oshiomhole’s words apparently did not sit well with Governor Obaseki and his team who spotted gaping holes in the former governor’s narratives. Contrary to the claims by Oshiomhole, Obaseki said the APC National Chairman single-handedly picked the governor, the deputy governor and the Secretary to the State Government and compiled the list of commissioners in his sitting room in 2016, calling him a liar.
Governor Obaseki also accused the APC national chairman of trying to “compulsively falsify the facts,” while responding to Oshiomhole in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie.
The statement read in parts:“We are once again forced to call the attention of members of the public to Comrade Oshiomhole’s ability to compulsively falsify the facts.
“The ease with which he lies, especially on issues that are public knowledge, underscores the content of his character and portends an existential threat to the survival of the APC and the impeccable integrity of President Muhammadu Buhari, who is forced to continuously engage with Comrade Oshiomhole being the national chairman of his party.
“If indeed Oshiomhole appointed only Mika Amanokha to Governor Obaseki’s cabinet, why then did the former governor scream to the high heavens and embark on vitriolic media attacks against Obaseki when the governor reshuffled his cabinet, taking out some persons who were sabotaging the administration at the behest of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
“In fact, Comrade Oshiomhole compiled the list of those to be appointed commissioners in Edo in his sitting room in 2016, asides picking the governor, his deputy and the SSG.”
Obaseki went further to accuse Oshiomhole of conniving with ‘some cronies’ in the presidency to carry out hasty appointment of board members of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) against the dictates constitution and due process.
Recall that last Thursday, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered that the board of the NDDC whose list was earlier sent to the Senate for confirmation by the President, and had already been confirmed by the Upper Chambers, be recomposed. President Buhari had also stated that the recomposed board will be inaugurated after a forensic audit of the agency has been completed, and that the NDDC will continue to be under the supervision of the ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, currently headed by Senator Godswill Akpabio.
Apparently upset by the nomination of Dr Pius Odubu as the NDDC chairman by Oshiomhole, Governor Obaseki alleged that some members of the board confirmed by the Senate are Oshiomhole’s cronies, noting that the President’s decision to order a re-composition of the board was timely as the APC National Chairman has been planning to have access to NDDC funds through Odubu to “finance the political tension in Edo State towards possibly seizing control of the Edo State government from Governor Obaseki.” Dr Odubu who was Oshiomhole’s deputy governor had contested the APC primaries with Mr Obaseki in 2016.
Obaseki who called for the removal of Oshiomhole as the party national chairman by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the APC, said he (Oshiomhole) “lacks the moral rectitude to continue to function in the office of the National Chairman of the APC”. He added: “The earlier this is done, the better for the party and Nigerians.
“He did not care whether the rules were followed or not; or for the integrity of the people being appointed. All he wanted was to achieve his aim and keep Edo State under his stranglehold as the new godfather.”
According to Obaseki, “fortunately for Nigerians and Niger Delta people, our calm and methodical president, Muhammadu Buhari, has since seen through Comrade Oshiomhole’s mischief and ordered the forensic audit of the NDDC and the re-composition’’ of the NDDC Board which Oshiomhole “was trying to emplace.”
But Oshiomhole in a statement released by his media aide, Egbuebulem described the Governor’s action as product of an ungrateful governor who is not interested in the peace and overall development of the State.
He disclosed that he had put in a lot of efforts to ensure there is peace between Obaseki and party leaders in Edo. “I think as a brother and to be honest, I regard the governor as my brother and a very close friend and what I owe him is to assist where he wants me to. To help him make peace with anyone who he has issues with.
“You people forgot when the governor went to Uhumwonde. That is the peak of his crisis with Idahosa and he said as the governor, he is going to take the leadership in Uhumwonde because the place is his ancestral home.
“And now he is going to do special development in Uhumwonde and that he is not going to do it with politicians because the politicians Uhumwonde has produced has never worked for the development of Uhumwonde. And so he is going to set up special development Committee not made up of politicians but community leaders.
“So he will relate with the community leaders and not politicians. But I advised him by all means, relate with community leaders, but don’t exclude party leaders because their roles are not the same.
“Again it is a bit of exaggeration to blame politicians for the none development of a Local Government because to my recollection, Uhumnwonde has not produced a governor, besides it is not the only under developed Local Government Area.
“The entire state was under developed until we intervened. You can do what you want to do without antagonizing the party leaders there. That statement is on record; it is in print.
“So I know that in my heart of hearts, the difficulties I have is that when people have told me as they did, that we don’t know this man, he does not know us, he does not attend meetings and I said to them don’t worry he will get to know you and mingle with you. So vote for him,” the statement by Oshiomhole read in parts.
Notwithstanding this acrimonious differences between Governor Obaseki and Comrade Oshiomhole, some mutual friends who spoke with The New Diplomat at the weekend said they are working very hard to resolve the crisis, stressing that the issues central to the bitter altercations would be amicably resolved.
Those said to be involved in the peace-building process include the Oba of Benin, some distinguished diplomats of international repute, a business icon, select governors and religious leaders.
