Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
Concerned Edo State’s All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders have called on President Bola Tinubu, the National Chairman of APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje and other party leaders to call the former governor of the state, Senator Adams Oshiomhole and his co-travellers to order ahead of the Edo State governorship primary scheduled for February 17.
The stakeholders said Oshiomhole does not have the authority to constitute a screening committee for the primary election.
In a statement issued yesterday, which was signed by Dr. Atsikidi Leonard and nine others, the stakeholders said it was worth noting that Oshiomhole’s previous usurpation of nomination powers, as witnessed in the nomination of Godwin Obaseki and Philip Shuaibu as governor and deputy governor, respectively in 2016, resulted in the party’s opposition status in Edo State today.
The party stakeholders noted that it was evident that he intends to repeat this indelible error in 2024.
The group noted: “The Concerned Edo APC Stakeholders would like to clarify and correct the false alarm and wrong impressions being peddled by enemies of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State regarding the rumoured report of a committee set up to interact with Edo 2024 APC governorship aspirants.”
The stakeholders recalled that it was important to note that the APC National Working Committee (NWC) recently released the Edo State guber election timetable and subsequently approved the direct mode of primary election to select the party’s flag bearer.
It added that the sales of Expression of Interest and Nomination forms commenced on January 10 and would end on January 29.
According to them, in line with the NWC’s guidelines, a consultative meeting was held with stakeholders of the party from Edo State on Monday, January 15, 2024,adding that during the meeting the stakeholders were urged to unite in trimming the number of aspirants due to the large number of individuals vying for the party’s ticket in Edo State.
Oshiomhole,was said to have set up a six-man committee to interface with the aspirants and make recommendations on how the number could be reduced.
“The committee was not a screening committee as that is the prerogative of the APC National Working Committee.
“Edo people were shocked when the news broke out that this Oshiomhole committee had initially recommended 10 names among the aspirants and on meeting with Comrade Oshiomhole was told to further remove some names and make the total six.
“We would like to state for the record that Comrade Senator Adams Oshiomhole does not have the authority to constitute a screening committee as he is neither the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress nor a member of the NWC.
“Furthermore, only aspirants who have completed and submitted their forms can be screened by the committee established by the NWC for this purpose,”the statement noted.
The stakeholders maintained that the scheduled date for the screening of aspirants, as outlined in the approved timetable by the NWC, was between 8th and 9th February 2024, stressing that the Oshiomhole committee unlawfully assumed the functions of the NWC and were unfortunately coerced by Oshiomhole to submit a report in variance of their earlier recommendation which is in the public domain.
“We hereby call on the National Chairman of the APC, H.E Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and other well-meaning party leaders in Edo State and across Nigeria, to intervene and restrain Comrade Senator Adams Oshiomhole and his co-travellers,” it added.
The stakeholders insisted that the APC in Edo State should not be plunged into unnecessary crises ahead of the 2024 governorship election.
“It is common knowledge that Comrade Senator Adams Oshiomhole has a personal interest in who becomes the Edo State Governor. We, therefore, reject Comrade Senator Adams Oshiomhole’s undue influence and demand that he stays clear of the Edo 2024 APC governorship primaries,” it added.
