The All Progressives Congress’ National Working Committee led by its Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on Monday met with the Presidency to counter the moves of some governors, who have begun to change the decision of the party on their Edo State counterpart, Mr. Godwin Obaseki.
The committee arrives at the Aso Rock at about 4:30pm for a meeting with the President’s Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.
Oshiomhole in an interview with the State House correspondents after the meeting ended at 6pm said there the party leadership in no way would bend the rules for anybody and allowed right of first refusal for those aspiring to contest since the party’s constitution did not make provision for it.
He added that President Muhammadu Buhari did not enjoy such favor when he was seeking re-election in 2019, therefore, party leaders could not change the rules for others.
The West African Pilot News (WAP) has reported that some APC governors who were sympathetic to Obaseki, had reached out to the Presidency to intervene in the Edo State APC crisis.
WAP also reported that the APC screening committee on the state governorship primary on Friday declared Obaseki and two others not qualified to contest the party’s governorship primary scheduled for July 22.
The panel justified the disqualification of Obaseki on the ground of discrepancies in his credentials.
However, Obaseki had rejected the decision of the committee but said he would not appeal his disqualification because he did not believe he would get justice from the NWC headed by Oshiomhole.
Meanwhile, he has been meeting some governors of the People’s Democratic Party, in what is popularly believed to be his preparation for joining the opposition party.
When journalists asked Oshiomhole about the Obaseki’s exit report and the position of his party, he said Obaseki’s exit report is still a speculation.
The APC NWC Chairman said, “I don’t know about (Obaseki’s) exit. What we see from your media, electronic and print, is that he visited a number of PDP governors. We heard in the electronic media and read it in the print that those consultations may have to do with his plan and so on, but we are not here to speculate.
“Our party is not a party of big men. It is governed by rules. Both the small and the big are subjected to that rule.
“I am sure you will agree that our President led by example when we conducted direct primary in the last presidential election. We still went to Eagle Square for affirmation.
“So, if the President did not have the right of first refusal because our constitution does not provide for it, we cannot under any circumstances now bend the rules when it comes to some people and changes the rule when it comes to others.
“Our duty as the management board of the APC is to ensure that we obey strictly the provisions of our constitution which empower the NWC to conduct primaries for president, governors, National Assembly, and State Houses of Assembly.”
He also reiterated that the screening process that led to the Obaseki’s disqualification, adding that it was meant to forestall a repeat of what happened to the party in Bayelsa State.
He also noted that the decision of the party to conduct direct primary, saying it conforms with the social distancing protocol in curtailing the COVID-19 spread.
He added that direct primary is more democratic and less susceptible to corrupt practices.
Adding that the new law put in place in the state would not stop the party from conducting its primary.
He also said the Edo State PDP conducted ward congresses to elect its delegates.
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