Leaders of the All Progressives Congress from the three senatorial zones of the state have warned of the dangers of fielding incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki as the flagbearer of the party to avoid a repeat of what took place in Bayelsa State following the alleged inconsistencies in the academic credentials of the governor.
In a letter to the President, Honourable Stanley Odidi, Former Chairman Etsako East Local Government Council Edo North, Honourable Sam Oboh Former Chairman Esan North East Local Government Council Edo Central, and Honourable Etinosa Ogbeiwi, Former Member of Edo Assembly Edo South, insisted that Obaseki’s lack of political weight aside, his contradicting educational qualification claims could spell doom for any party that fields him as its candidate in the forthcoming election.
“Mr. President may be reminded that the judicial reversal our great party suffered in Bayelsa State after a hard-fought electoral victory was caused by inconsistencies in the credentials submitted by our Deputy Governorship candidate. In the unlikely event that our great party the APC makes similar mistake by fielding Mr. Godwin Obaseki in the forth-coming gubernatorial election, we shall suffer similar judicial misfortune as happened in Bayelsa, because Mr. Godwin Obaseki’s educational credentials are riddled with manifest and incurable inconsistencies.”
“To illustrate our position, let us put the facts down for the records: In a sworn affidavit of 2016, Mr. Obaseki claimed that he was admitted for a three-year degree programme in Classical Studies in the University of Ibadan in 1973, after obtaining only 3 credit passes at Ordinary Level in the West African School Certificate (WASC) examination held in June 1973 (the same year he claimed to have commenced the degree programme).”
“In the said affidavit, Mr. Obaseki claimed to have graduated in 1976, three years after his purported admission into the University of Ibadan. At all times till date, no Nigerian University, including the University of Ibadan, admits candidate to study for any degree course with only 3 credit passes in WASC, Ordinary Level as claimed by Mr. Obaseki.”
“The only possible exception is that the candidate must have an additional Advanced Level Certificate.
In all his sworn affidavits including the ones he swore to before being fielded as a candidate in the 2016 gubernatorial election, Mr. Obaseki has never claimed or disclosed, when asked by the INEC as constitutionally required, to have obtained an Advanced Level Certificate. How then did he gain admission into the University of Ibadan in 1973 with only 3 credit passes obtained at Ordinary Level in 1973?”
Furthermore, the leaders question why Obaseki and his political minions are desperate to truncate the selection process of the party and repeated targeted attacks on Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu who since his return to the party has emerged as its frontline aspirant for the ticket.
“The people of Edo State are however tired of the incompetent leadership of Governor Godwin Obaseki. They have made it resoundingly clear that they want a free and fair primary election for the gubernatorial ticket of the APC, with a level playing field granted to all aspirants, including the leading aspirant Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. Why is Governor Godwin Obaseki and these faceless elements desperate to truncate this well-known, generally accepted political process if they are confident that Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is unpopular and unmarketable?”
They also dismissed insinuations that Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is new to the party, highlighting his role in the formation process of the All Progressives Congress.
“Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, more than being part and parcel of our great party from the very beginning, was in the inner circle of the great personalities instrumental in the formation of the party. He played vital roles, traveling far and wide in the mission to facilitate the amicable coming together of the three defunct parties that merged to form the APC in 2013.”
“Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s undisputed role in the formation of the APC is shown by the sensitive positions he held in the APC during and after its formation. He was the Vice National Chairman of the ACN, South-South; Member of the National Caucus; a Frontline Member of the Mergers Committee, and the Deputy Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee that midwifed the APC. Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu has also served in government, bringing the same zeal and resourcefulness which he is popularly known for. As Chief of Staff and later Secretary to the Government of Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu served with honour and without blemish, facts well-known to the faceless authors of the letter of lies.”
Add Comment