Oshiomhole manipulated Edo assembly primaries because he wanted to remove me, Obaseki claims

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki on Friday, continued his verbal onslaught against the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, claiming that he wanted to use the state House of Assembly to remove him from office.

According to him, Oshiomhole cancelled the primaries conducted by the party ahead of the 2019 general elections and did his own to carry out his alleged plans to remove him from office.

Obaseki said, “He cancelled the primaries that were initially done by the party at the state level for the 2019 general elections and did his own because he could not control us at the executive (level). He manipulated the legislature so he could use the House to remove us.”

He said he sympathised with his deputy, Philip Shaibu, who he claimed was deceived by Oshiomhole.

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The governor, who spoke during an expanded meeting with leaders of the APC from all the wards and local government areas in Edo North at Jattu-Uzaire, Etsako West Local Government Area of the state said: “Oshiomhole thought he was setting a trap when he chose Philip Shaibu as my deputy and Osarodion Ogie as Secretary to the State Government. He was thinking that we would always quarrel, fight and then run to him to settle issues.”

According to him, the party and its members do not support godfatherism in the state. “If you behave like a godfather, we will fight you.”

The governor also insisted that Oshiomhole remained suspended from the party until he apologised to the party.

“If you cannot be a disciplined member of the party, you will leave the party, whether you are the national chairman or not”, he said.

He also restated his earlier statement that the APC national chairman lied about nominating only one commissioner for his cabinet.

The governor, who insisted that due process was followed in the suspension of Oshiomhole from the party in the state, said the ex-governor could only be allowed to return to the party after apologising to members of the APC.

“Can you imagine a national chairman that is creating problems in his own house? Because of that, we had to suspend him and he remains suspended. We pray that God should have mercy on him because he has done something bad against God and the people of Edo State; he should find his way back into the party and apologise to all of us. If he comes back remorseful and apologetic, we will consider taking him back”, Obaseki said, while also dismissing speculations that he was leaving the APC.

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