Stay clear of Edo APC primary, Obaseki tells Oshiomhole

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Edo Governor Godwin Obaseki has told National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to stay clear of the party’s primary for election of governorship candidate on June 22.

He spoke after submitting his nomination form on Wednesday at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja.

Obaseki, who is locked in a battle of supremacy over his re-election bid with his godfather and predecessor, said it would be unfair of Oshiomole to be part of the process as a vested interest.

The Governor said: “I call on Comrade Oshiomhole to recluse himself from the Edo nomination process because he is an interest party.

“It is against natural justice for a man to be a judge in his own case. So I think the honourable thing to do is to recluse himself and let’s have a free process and lets reconcile and build our party.

“On a final note, I am actively pursuing peace, actively pursuing harmony in our party, particularly at home and I believe that there will be peace.”

The governor also denied betraying Oshiomhole, who brought him to power in 2016.

He instead described the National Chairman of APC as “a bigger betrayer”.

“In life everybody gets helped, everybody gets assisted. The person you talked about (Oshiomhole) had no money when he left Labour to contest.

“We knew what we did to make him Governor. I sacrificed eight years of my life to serve Edo State Pro Bono. I collected no Kobo to serve him (Oshiomhole) in Edo.”

The governor also debunked reports that he has equally obtained the nomination form of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to him, “It is very absurd. I am someone that is very exposed. How can I collect form from two parties when we have rulings in past disqualifying people on that?

“I am a party man to the core. APC is my party because I come from a progressive political family. I believe in the ideals of APC.

“I believe in our President. I believe in what he stands for so I am a party man to the core. I am not an old- styled politician. I represent a new direction of politics that is based on facts and truth not lies”.