The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, on Tuesday unveiled one of his plots to stop Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo from getting the party’s ticket for second term re-election in the September 2020 governorship election in Edo State. The APC chairman had earlier plotted to link the Edo Governor with certificate forgery to ensure the governor’s disqualification at the party screening before the APC primary election for the nomination of its candidate for the September poll. Oshiomhole had beguiled APC leaders into relying on the thesis that the party must avoid its bitter experience in the Bayelsa State governorship election while nominating its governorship candidate in Edo State.

Apparently, Oshiomhole, while inaugurating the APC screening and appeal committees for the party’s governorship aspirants in Abuja in preparation for the June 22 governorship primary election in Edo State, questioned the authenticity of the first degree certificate Governor Obaseki presented  to the party he obtained from the University of Ibadan.

Oshiomhole, working on his grand plot against Obaseki, declared at the APC screening committee inauguration: “Someone should approach the UI and end this matter once and for all. If the certificate Obaseki parades is that of the UI, find out how did he pass senate screening of those days?

“I am aware that in those days when this man never dreamt of becoming a governor, every student, no matter your status or your family name, must pass screening.

“It is done every third term at the UNN (University of Nigeria Nsukka), then we ran terminal not semester programme. The final screening was in the third year, before you go in for your final year.

“How come the UI allowed him then? Did he do a remedial? Which was not unlikely. These are questions. Many came in, especially, in education and linguistics, did remedial for one year and if the result was good, gained direct entry and graduated three years after.’’

Oshiomhole in further deployment of his political decoy to stop Obaseki reinforced his certificate suspicion with the Bayelsa State election misfortune. He, therefore, instructed: “The screening is not a formality and we expect you to be very meticulous in every material in particular to protect our party so that it would not be said that we did not learn anything from Bayelsa.  As you know sometimes when things go wrong, everybody sees it that NWC did not do a thorough job.  So, people personalized it. They say, ‘If the chairman is thorough, if he has done his job this will not happen but that is the price for leadership.”

The APC national chairman further declared that if any aspirant is not satisfied with the recommendations of the screening committee, he should appeal, adding that the complaint will be communicated to the appeal committee.

Oshiomhole threatened that the APC NWC can reject the screening result [suspiciously if it does not favour his anointed aspirant.]

Oshiomhole had declared: “The NWC can reject the screening result. Screening committee is high court. The appeal committee is the Appeal Court and the NWC, the Supreme Court.”

Members of the screening committee were identified to include:- Prof Jonathan Ayuba (Chairman), Prof Agbo Madaki, Ibrahim Zailani, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed Binani, Dr Jane-Frances Agbu, Fort Dike while Dr Rabe Nasir will serve as secretary.

The appeal committee constitutes of Dr. Abubakar Fari, Chairman; Daniel Bwala, Secretary; Prof. Sadeeque Abba, Gbenga Olubajo, Mohammed Idris and Esther Bepeh.

The six aspirants, who completed and submitted their expression of interest and nomination forms to the APC leadership include Governor Godwin Obaseki, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Dr. Pius Odubu, Chris Ogiemwonyi, Osaro Odubu and Mathew Aigbuhuenze Iduoriyekemwen.

Meanwhile, Governor Obaseki has challenged Oshiomhole to proceed to the University of Ibadan to confirm his certificate.

The Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Osagie, on behalf of the governor, declared: “The University of Ibadan is perhaps the most reputable university in Africa. The University of Ibadan awarded a BA degree in Classical Studies to his excellency the governor as far back as 1979. The university is still there. If anybody feels the certificate is not credible why doesn’t the person go there to verify?

“Why are we just seeing this only in the media? Bear in mind that the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, was among an elite corps of illustrious alumni of the university people to deliver a national alumni lecture in August 2018. Do you think such an institution will call someone who is not an alumnus to deliver such a lecture?”

However, members of the APC screening and appeal committees are facing the acid test of resisting the temptations and pressures to be used by Oshiomhole to disqualify Obaseki, protect their individual integrity, and objectively perform their ad hoc duties.