#Edo2020: “Appealing Against Oshiomhole’s Rascality in APC Is An Effort In Futility”— Obaseki’s Camp

Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki today revealed that he will not appeal the outcome of the screening exercise held for 2020 Edo Governorship election aspirants.

In a statement signed by  Crusoe Osagie, Special Adviser to Edo State Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Obaseki’s team berated “the mockery of democratic process, which Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is administering and superintending over in our great party the All Progressives Congress (APC). It has been an unfortunate, disheartening and dreadful spectacle”.

As Edo State’s elections draw closer, the feud between present Governor of said state, Godwin Obaseki, and APC Chairman Adams Oshiomole thickens, as Oshiomhole joined some social media users to cast aspersions om the authenticity of his mentee-turned-rival’s first-degree certificate obtained from the University of Ibadan.

An allegation of forged credentials has continued to trail the footsteps of the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, as he recently joined other five aspirants in battling for the All Progressives Congress (APC) the state governorship ticket.

Party chairman, Adams Oshiomhole increased the heat, further challenging Nigerians to approach the University of Ibadan— (which has made no comments since the allegedly falsified documents were  brought to light)— institution to get clarity.

Mr Obaseki’s Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical Studies from the institution in 1979, alongside other aspirants, were pasted for public scrutiny at the party’s secretariat in Abuja last week.

Some Nigerians pinpointed inconsistency in font, signatures and time frame in his presented certificates alongside certificates issued to others the same year. These claims to fraud were heavily backed by Oshiomhole, whose recent rivalry to Obaseki is linked to the latter’s second tenure ambitions.

Obaseki’s camp has however come to the conclusion that “there is no way that Governor Godwin Obaseki would get a fair assessment in the run-up to the nomination of candidates to fly the flag of the party in the forthcoming Edo gubernatorial election”.

“We have watched the mockery of democratic process, which Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, is administering and superintending over in our great party the All Progressives Congress (APC). It has been an unfortunate, disheartening and dreadful spectacle”, the statement continues.

Obaseki’s team bemoaned the crippling accusations against the Governor as a “travesty of justice”,
Saying:” This  is the brand of democracy which Comrade Oshiomhole has reduced the APC into. The situation is quite saddening because this is a party supposedly reputed for change, equity and social justice”.

“We have therefore decided that it would be effort in futility to appeal whatever the unjust outcome of the evaluation and screening process of the APC will be, especially when Comrade Oshiomhole has declared that he is the Supreme Court and ultimate determiner of the fate and future of our great party”, they continued.

“We wish Oshiomhole well in his maladministration of the party and trust that the Almighty will help our country to find the path to true liberty, freedom and justice”.

Mr Oshiomhole said last week at the inauguration of the APC’s screening and Appeal committees drawn from academia to vet the credentials of the six aspirants:

“Someone should approach the UI and end this matter once and for all. If the certificate Obaseki parades is that of the UI, find out – how did he pass senate screening of those days? I’m aware that in those days when this man never dreamt of becoming a governor, every student, no matter your status or your family name, must pass screening”.

“How come the UI allowed him then? Did he do a remedial? Which was not unlikely. These are questions. Many (who) came in especially in education and linguistics, did remedial for one year and if the result was good, gained direct entry and graduated three years after”.