Inside Story Of Obaseki, Oshiomhole Bitter Supremacy Fight

Before the affirmation of his suspension from the APC on Tuesday by the Appeal Court, Oshiomhole had last week had his way when he nailed the re-election ambition of Obaseki by stopping him from participating in the APC governorship primaries. Obaseki’s disqualification from the contest, which was celebrated among Oshiomhole’s loyalists who are strongly opposed to the governor’s return bid, may have ended the intra-party struggle for the soul of the APC.
The long-drawn political war which started over a year ago had defiled all-known solutions to genuinely reconcile Obaseki and Oshiomhole which festered to the point that the governor was technically eased out of the primaries by his disqualification. However, political pundits are of the view that it is not yet Uhuru as Obaseki would again confront the Oshiomhole’s political machinery at the September 19 governorship election, possibly against Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who is favoured by Oshiomhole to emerge as the APC candidate.

The disqualification of Obaseki by the Prof Jonathan Ayuba screening panel set up by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) hinged its decision on the discrepancies in the academic qualification of the governor. Obaseki, after he was axed, stated that he won’t appeal the decision of the panel on the ground that the committee had shown bias when he appeared before it. In a statement issued by his special adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, Obaseki said that appealing the outcome of the “unjust outcome of the evaluation and screening process was in futility.” The statement reads in part: “We have watched the mockery of democratic process which Comrade Oshiomhole is administering and superintending over our great party, the All Progressive 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 runup to the nomination of candidates to fly the flag of the party in the Edo governorship 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 to. 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 an 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 the he is the Supreme Court and ultimate determiner of the fate and future of our great party.” The outcome of the screening committee, had left Oshiomhole fully in control of the structure of the APC in Edo State before the Appeal Court verdict as Obaseki had on Tuesday announced his resignation from the APC after he met with the chief of staff (CoS) to the president, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.

Genesis Of The Bitter Feud
Not even a soothsayer could have predicted that Oshiomhole and Obaseki would chart different political trajectory to the extent that the centre can no longer hold. In the build up to Obaseki 2016 governorship election, Oshiomhole at a campaign podium had praised him to high heavens. In fact, he attributed the success of his administration to the contribution of Obaseki, he described as the “brain box” of his government. The governor was unknown as far as the politics of the state was concerned, making him a difficult sell. In fact, because of Oshiomhiole’s aggressiveness and persuasion to sell the candidacy of Obaseki against a popular aspirant, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the PDP, he carried on with the campaign as if he was going for a third term. Signs of cracks, however, began to surface one year to the governorship election in Edo State, the APC, when a splinter group under the aegis of Edo Peoples Movement (EPM) was formed with the sole purpose of working against the return bid of the governor.

It was gathered that the EPM enjoyed the tacit backing of Oshiomhole. The division in the party, it was learnt, was as a result of the proxy war between Obaseki and Oshiomhole. One faction is loyal to Oshiomhole while the other is loyal to Obaseki. The cold war between them is also traced to Oshiomhole’s loyalists who are said to have been protesting against alleged unfair treatment by the governor after the departure of Oshiomhole from Government House, Benin. In 2016, the governor had to fight for the APC governorship ticket with strong contenders such as former deputy governor, Pius Odubu, Osarodion Ogie, former minister of works, Engr Chris Ogiemwonyi, Gen. Charles Airhiavbere, Kenneth Imansuagbon and others. Many party chieftains were against Obaseki because he was said to be perceived as someone who might not bend to their whims and caprices. But Oshiomhole used his power as the state governor and his oratory to arm-twist APC chieftains.

Some of the contestants eventually stepped down and supported his “anointed” candidate, Obaseki. Against stiff opposition from Ize-Iyamu, Obaseki emerged the candidate of the APC and defeated the PDP’s Ize-Iyamu at the poll. No sooner than Obaseki was sworn-in at the Dr Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, he introduced rules that shut out politicians from Osadebey Avenue, the seat of power, a development that was strange to politicians who in the past thronged the Government House on a daily basis.

He was said to have told politicians who had worked for his emergence that as a technocrat who believed that the allocation to the state and its internally-generated revenue were meant for the development of the state, and not for sharing among the political elite. One of the first youth leaders, who was in the forefront in mobilising support for the governor, Osa Osakpamwan Eriyo, was remanded in prison for three months.
Osakpamwan was not alone, Comrade Tony Kabaka, who was seen as the leader of the youths in the state, was removed as revenue collector by the state government. Osakpamwan, who was also a revenue collector on behalf of the state government and the state chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigerian (RTEAN), lost his chairmanship position and job as revenue collector. The development was said to have angered Oshiomhole as most of the APC chieftains continued to flood his house to seek assistance instead of meeting the governor to take care of them.
Another issue that also widened the gulf betweenOshiomhole and Obaseki was the alleged refusal to put the newly-commissioned Specialist Hospital to use, almost three years after it was commissioned by President Muhammudu Buhari. Angered by the display of ingratitude on the part of Obaseki, Oshiomhole was said to have told his former deputy (Pius Odubu), Gen. Airhiavbere, and Ogiemwonyi to be warming up for the primary election as possible replacement. Obaseki was said to have complained about Oshiomhole to their mutual friends that the former APC chairman dictates the pace of what happened in the state and that he wants to be his own man.

But when confronted, Obaseki and Oshiomhole continued to deny any frosty relationship. The outcome of the 2019 national and state House of Assembly revealed the crack in their fold. While Obaseki wanted to have his loyalists at the Assembly to secure his second term bid, Oshiomhole preferred his loyalists. Insiders say that the former governor’s move was seen as a plot to stop Obaseki from getting the party’s ticket for a second term. The tussle over who produces candidates in the state Assembly resulted in the cancellation of the initial primary election organised by the national body of the APC. A fresh one was conducted. A clear example of the cold war unfolded in AkokoEdo federal constituency, where the former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Kabir Adjoto, hails from. The former governor wanted Peter Akpatason while Governor Obaseki favoured the Assembly speaker. Akpatason, however, got the ticket.
The same scenario played out in Oredo federal constituency, where Oshiomhole wanted Osaro Obazee, while Obaseki chose Osaigbovo Iyokha. In the end, Iyokha secured the ticket while Obazee got the state assembly ticket. The removal of former speaker of Edo State Assembly (Alhaji Adjoto) and his replacement with Victor Edoro, who was his deputy, was linked to the raging war between the two political titans. Interestingly, Edoro was also impeached and suspended by some of his loyalists from attending the plenary before the expiration of the last legislature. Obaseki’s Red Flag The resignation of Obaseki from the APC may have set the stage for his eventual defection into the PDP. He is expected to contest for the party’s governorship ticket weekend following weeks and months of consultations with top leadership of the PDP.

The implication of Obaseki resignation and defection to the PDP is a loss for the APC except that the party is able to reclaim Edo State to its fold in the September 19, 2020, governorship election. The election is a make or mar for both the PDP and the APC as the stakes get higher. While some political observer are of the view that it is over for Obaseki for daring the man on whose back he rode easily to occupy the highest office in the state in 2016, others believe that since it is now clear that Obaseki will challenge P Ize-Iyamu at the battle field he is likely to leverage on his achievements to win the election. The Cross At Road For PDP On major hurdle the PDP must overcome before its governorship primaries is for its leadership to prevail on the other aspirants to step down for Obaseki, who has allegedly perfected his defection plan with top leadership of the party and its governors.

It was learnt that two of the PDP governorship aspirants, Engineer Gideon Ikhine and Hon. Ogbeide Ihama may have given in to pressure from other members of the party to step down for Obaseki. Popular educationist and philanthropist, Ken Imansuagbon, is said to be the stumbling block to Obaseki picking the PDP’s ticket. But the state PDP chairman, Hon Tony Aziegbemi, said that despite the resignation of Obaseki from the APC and strong indications that he would join the PDP, the rules for the party as stipulated by its constitution would be followed. Aziegbemi stated: “But I told you what we are expecting, it is like an owl crying in the night and a baby dying in the morning.

There is no automatic ticket in our constitution, due process must be followed, everybody will have to be involved in the process, a level playing field will be provided.” On the rumour that whoever emerges as the candidate of the party would be substituted for Obaseki, he replied: “I am not aware of that situation, we are not there yet.” However, as the horse trading and political alignment and re-alignment in both the APC and the PDP continues, observers are of the view that either sides may spring up surprises in the choice of the governorship candidate.