BY Ebunoluwa Olafusi
Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo state, says Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is afraid of educated people because “he did not go to school”.
Speaking with state house correspondents on Tuesday, Obaseki accused Oshiomhole of high-handedness.
The governor, who has been having a running battle with Oshiomhole, was disqualified from the 2019 APC primary election.
Asked if he would provide a level playing ground for the primary election to hold in the state, Obaseki said: “He (Oshiomhole) has not provided a level playing ground even in the selection process, the disqualification process: what is the basis for disqualifying someone like Chris Ogiemwonyi?
“You are afraid of people who are educated because you didn’t go to school. You are afraid of people who have something to offer because all he knows how to offer is brigandage, crisis.
“So for us, Nigeria has to move forward beyond some of the characters who are currently overseeing our political polity and they are scared. They are scared that when people of substance, when people who are proven, when people who have succeeded in other aspects of life come into politics, they will be history.”
On allegation of inconsistency in his certificate, the governor, who described Oshiomhole as a man” without character and sense of justice”, said the national chairman was just looking for an excuse to carry out his wish.
He alleged that the APC had given Oshiomhole “that sort of authority without checks”, adding that such action would put the ruling party in danger.
“Someone who hasn’t gone to school, who doesn’t have certificate himself, will not know and understand what inconsistencies in certificates are, that’s the starting point,” he said.
“There’s no inconsistency in my certificates. The issue was in 2016, when I contested for gubernatorial election, I could not find the originals of my certificates because I hadn’t required them for more than two decades. So I deposed to an affidavit that I couldn’t find the originals. Subsequently, I found all the original copies of all my certificates and they are with me. So I don’t understand what’s inconsistent about that.
“Maybe the inconsistency in the Youths Corps certificate where he said my surname was missing an ‘i’ at the end, but if you look at that it was like a cursive, it was written in a cursive manner. So if that’s inconsistency for him, then it’s really sad that people of that quality are leading the Nigeria’s ruling party.
“For him it was just to look for an excuse to take whatever decision he wants to take and it’s really sad that the party structure today gives him that sort of authority without checks, that is dangerous for any system or any institution. When you give authority and responsibility to people who don’t have character, people who do not have finesse, a sense of justice, then that institution is imperiled.”
The governor expressed confidence that he would win the September 19 governorship election, saying he has the backing of the people.
“I’m sure if you’ve scanned the environment, you’ve scanned the media, you’ve scanned social media, the reaction from people across the world, particularly Edos at home and in the Diaspora, has for me has been unbelievable. They’ve said to me, wherever you go, we go. “
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