The Prof. Jonathan Ayuba-led All Progressives Congress (APC) screening committee for the Edo State governorship election yesterday disqualified the incumbent governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki from contesting the forthcoming party primary holding June 22.
The disqualification thus brought to an end the battle for supremacy between the governor and the party’s national chairman and former governor of the state, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole.
Giving reasons for Obaseki’s ineligibility, Ayuba said the governor claimed in his nomination form to have obtained a Higher School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) from the Institute of Continuing Education, Benin.
Though the attestation presented by the governor, which was on display at the party secretariat for two days, showed that he offered English, Literature, General paper and Economics for the Higher School Certificate (HSC), Ayuba said: “It was observed however that no educational certificate such as HSLC is known in Nigerian educational system. Even then, the same HSLC was never presented in the course of the screening exercise. The aspirant admitted that he had never collected it.
“The attestation from the Institute of Continuing Education, Benin from where the alleged HSLC which was indicated in the field of attendance as obtained is of no consequence, as it only attests that Obaseki was a student of the Institute. So what we had was like an attendance, it was not a result.
“Although, the committee received a petition on his University of Ibadan Bachelor of Arts Classics certificate which he submitted to INEC in 2016, when he first contested as governor, the committee on further probing was presented with original certificate issued by the University and the original was sighted.
“On the NYSC certificate dated 6th August 1980, the committee observed that he bears the name “Obasek” Godwin. While this may be an error on the part of the issuing authority, we observed however that the aspirant has not taken any step ever to have the anomaly corrected by the issuing authority.
“In our interaction with issues raised, we concluded that HSLC was defective, the NYSC certificate and based on the party’s Constitution, this has made us to recommend that the above candidate therefore, Obaseki, is not eligible to participate in the election,” he said.
While the committee cleared Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Dr. Pius Odubu and Hon. Osaro Obazee for the primary, it axed two other aspirants – Messrs Chris Ogemwonyi, and Matthew Iduoriyekemwen.
However, in a post-disqualification statement, the governor said through his spokesman, Mr. Crusoe Osagie that he (governor) would not appeal his unjust disqualification by the committee.
He described the committee’s action as ‘a mockery of the democratic process.’
“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.
“We had initially asserted that going by the open display and enthronement of illegality by one man in the party that comprises several organs and eminent personalities, 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.
“It is unfortunate that this open show of shame, illegality and travesty of justice 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.
“We wish Oshiomhole luck 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. “We call on all party members and the teeming supporters of Governor Obaseki to remain calm and await further directives.”
