Obaseki must go, forum insists

TRACKING >>The Edo Peoples Movement (EPM) has insisted that the peace talk between Governor Godwin Obaseki and National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, would not stop its resolve to stop the governor from getting a second term ticket.

President Muhammadu Buhari last week initiated talks between Obaseki and Oshiomhole, though Obaseki said there was no rift between them. Oshiomhole has kept sealed lips.

The EPM said its two major objectives of re-positioning the APC in the state and getting a replacement for Obaseki is a task that must be accomplished.

The Convener, Henry Idahagbon, told reporters that whatever peace initiated and concluded in Abuja would remain in Abuja.

He said: “Edo Peoples Movement will stick to its two cardinal objectives – first is to restructure the party by strengthening it, by returning the party to its old winning ways – an election winning machine. The second is to shop for a suitable replacement for Governor Godwin Obaseki in 2020. These two motives are immutable; we stand by them and whatever peace move they make good for them. We don’t have any problem with any peace move, but the peace move will be without prejudice to the cardinal objectives of Edo Peoples Movement.”

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But former Chief Whip of the House of Assembly, Osagboivo Iyoha, said EPM was a small fraction of the APC in Edo.

According to him, nobody can stop Obaseki from securing a second term because the people would appreciate his performance. He noted that

Iyoha explained that the complaints of the EPM were not issues that would bothered the APC members.

He said: “How many are they in the APC that they can stop Obaseki? What are their grievances? There are some who claimed they were supposed to be appointed by Obaseki; others said they were former revenue collectors who were sacked.

“Some of them have been in power since 1999, and the little time they are out of power, they want to pull the roof down. Obaseki has majority support of Edo APC members. We will defeat them at the primaries.”

A former aide to Oshiomhole, Prince Greg Ogiogwa, urged Idahagbon not to turn personal issues to political issues because political issues affect the lives and destiny of millions of Edo people.

He told the EPM to desist from disinformation and other theatrics aimed at blackmailing the governor to part with the people’s matrimony.