Former Edo State deputy governor, Dr Pius Odubu, on Tuesday, 17th March 2020, in Benin hailed the appeal court victory of the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
Odubu who spoke with journalists on behalf of other governorship aspirants and party members of the APC in Edo State said that the last Monday Court of Appeal ruling which quashed the suspension of Oshiomhole will linger in the memory of the party faithful for a long time to come.
He said: “It is also a moment of sober reflection for us in Edo State APC as we remember the unwholesome role played by the Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki in the failed attempt to remove our National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole his benefactor.”
Odubu traced the genesis of the crisis, noting that it started with the “illegal midnight inauguration of the 17th of June, 2019, where a majority of our Honourable members-elect were excluded from the inauguration and till date they have not been inaugurated.”
He accused Governor Godwin Obaseki of being behind the harassment and attack of party members who are not disposed to his second term election bid, adding that even the national chairman, was not spared as he had been attacked severally both in Benin City and in his hometown, Iyamho.
“The height of it was the demolition of the five Star hotel belonging to Comrade Tony Kabaka Adun even when the matter was subjudice. We are also not unaware of the clandestine move to revoke the C of O of the Properties belonging to some of our Party Leaders.
“It has been one case of evil, witch-hunting and executive rascality to another. To Governor Godwin Obaseki, his second term is not negotiable; it is more important the lives of people and anyone who dares stand on his part must be crushed. The Governor who ought to be a political leader that unites all members of APC together became an instrument of division, intimidation, humiliation and political vendetta”, Odubu said.
He said the last straw was the governor’s failed attempt to remove Oshiomhole from office, alleging that in his quest, he summoned a meeting of some APC members in South-South where they issued a communique that Oshiomhole should be replaced with Victor Giadom from Rivers State.
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari whose decision as the leader of the party helped to cancel the illegal NEC meeting, which he said would have caused implosion in the party.
He also commended the National Leader of the Party, Senator Ahmed Tinubu, Progressive governors of APC, National Assembly members, NWC members among others, who stood in defence of the party supremacy and Oshiomhole in appreciation of his sacrifices for the party.
The Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr Crusoe Osagie accused Odubu of being a frontrunner in the factionalisation of the state chapter of the APC.
Osagie insisted that the ex-deputy governor the of sabotaging the peace efforts by APC governors and President Muhammadu Buhari.
Osagie said that less than 24 hours after the peace initiative by the President and the governors in Abuja, Odubu has launched a barrage of attacks on the person of the governor, a situation that jeopardizes moves to restore peace to a party that has become severely troubled.
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He challenged the party’s National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to publicly denounce the attacks by Odubu, on Governor Godwin Obaseki, in the spirit of the peace efforts by the President and the party, as Odubu has been a known frontline speaker for Comrade Oshiomhole during the crisis that preceded the current peace initiative.
According to him, “It is unfortunate that less than 24 hours after reconciliation is being forged around the consultations between President Muhammadu Buhari and all Governors elected under the APC, including Governor Godwin Obaseki, Dr Pius Odubu, a frontrunner in the factionalisation of the APC in Edo State under the supervision of the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has kicked off personal attacks on Governor Obaseki.
“It is clear that these characters neither mean well for the party nor do they mean well for Comrade Oshiomhole. They would rather continue to stir crisis and disrupt the peace in the state and the party.
We, therefore, call on the Presidency to take note of this trend aimed at rubbishing all the efforts by President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC governors to bring peace to the party at all levels.”
He added, “We challenge Comrade Oshiomhole to come out to publicly denounce the irresponsible comments if he does not subscribe to them, failure of which proves that he is acting in support of the renewed attacks on the governor.”
Osagie said the attacks were consistent with the character of these individuals and there is no denying that they would continue, which is why it is pertinent to draw the attention of the Presidency to the antics aimed at sabotaging President Buhari’s peace efforts as well as that of the governors and other leaders of the party.
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