Omeiza Ajayi, Abuja
The Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum PGF, Salihu Mohammed Lukman has decried the political situation in Edo state, lamenting that being a mentee of the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, it is depressing for him to witness the party leader being reduced to a local champion by the state Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki.
Consequently, he said the way forward is for the APC National Chairman to convene a meeting of the National Executive Committee NEC or resign honourably.
Lukman also described the National Working Committee NWC as a shadow of itself, saying it has lost many of its members and yet has refused to replace them. The PGF is a platform for all governors of the ruling APC.
It is very painful for many of us who have had the privilege of being mentored by Comrade Oshiomhole to see him being devalued to a local factional leader from a very high pedestal of an illustrious national leader. As National Chairman, Comrade Oshiomhole hardly appreciates that he now has a national constituency and not just a state constituency, which may have been responsible for his apparent intemperance in the handling of matters affecting Edo State. I wish he paid similar attention to the handling of issues affecting Rivers and Zamfara states during the 2019 elections”, he said.
In a statement titled, “APC and our Inconceivable Organisational Challenges: Urgent Call to our Leaders”, Lukman also warned that the disqualification of the party’s deputy governorship candidate in Bayelsa state could spell doom for it and deliver the state on a platter to the Peoples Democratic Party PDP as witnessed in Zamfara, Rivers and other states.
According to Lukman, every necessary step has to be taken to vacate the judgment in order to ensure APC’s participation in the polls.
He said; “Information coming from Edo State indicates that members of the State Executive Council of APC have passed a vote of no confidence on Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of our party, APC. In so many respects, it could be argued, it is a natural outcome of unfolding power play between Comrade Oshiomhole and Governor Godwin Obaseki since June 2019 with the contentious inauguration of the Edo State House of Assembly. Possible retaliatory responses from both Comrade Oshiomhole and groups such as Edo Peoples Movement who are loyal to Comrade Oshiomhole should be expected. In other words, there could be counter pronouncement suspending Governor Obaseki.
“Side by side with the news of the vote of no confidence was also the discomforting report of the Federal High Court judgement in Abuja disqualifying Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo as our Deputy Governorship candidate for the November 16, 2019 Bayelsa election. While expecting that every necessary step will be taken to vacate the judgement, it is very depressing for every committed party member to be subjected to such ignominious reality, which only reminds us of our reckless conducts in states like Zamfara, Rivers, Bauchi and Adamawa, which chiefly gave away electoral victories to PDP.
“Instead of focusing on working to win elections, we are busy undermining ourselves. All these are ominous signs that we are about to re-enact the Zamfara, Rivers, Bauchi and Adamawa experiences in Bayelsa. It is Bayelsa today, Anambra, Edo, and Ondo are being set up for similar experiences”.
