The All Progressives Congress (APC) Screening Panel which screened the governorship aspirants on the platform of the party in Edo State has premised its disqualification of Governor Godwin Obaseki on six grounds.
The decision may have drawn the curtain on the governor’s aspiration on the platform of the party even as Obaseki himself vowed moments after the announcement of his disqualification that he would not appeal the panel’s decision.
The grounds for disqualification, as sighted from the committee’s report by The Nation last night, are:
- claiming to have a Higher School Leaving Certificate which is unknown to the Nigerian educational system;
- allegedly being in possession of an affidavit disowned by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory;
- error in the National Youth Service Corps discharge certificate which bears Obasek as against Obaseki;
- loss of primary, secondary and the Higher School Leaving Certificates;
- alleged violation of Article 21 D (V) of the party’s constitution, which forbids members from taking the party to court;
- legal precedents occasioned by the judgments of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court on discrepancies in names.
There were speculations last night that Obaseki was heading to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which said that its doors were wide open for Obaseki should he decide to come on board.
The Obaseki faction of the APC is scheduled to meet later today in Benin to decide on its next line of action.
Obaseki, who appeared to have foreknowledge of his fate, dismissed the decision of the screening committee as unjust and ruled out an appeal.
He did not spare the party’s national chair, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who he said was making mockery of the democratic process in the way he is “administering and superintending over our great party.”
Obaseki has been locked in a fierce showdown with Oshiomhole for about two years now.
Two others aspirants- Chris Ogiemwonyi, a former minister of state for works, and Mathew Iduoriyekenwen, a former majority leader of the Edo State House of Assembly, were also disqualified by the panel.
It, however, cleared Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu; Dr. Pius Odubu, a former deputy governor of the state and Hon. Osaro Obazee, a former Local Government Chairman in the state, to contest the APC primary on June 22.
The party’s Appeal Committee was awaiting the application of Obaseki last night.
The Screening Committee, headed by Prof. Jonathan Mamu Ayuba, decided to disqualify Obaseki following a petition by Chisimdi M. Chima of Shores and Savanna International Law Firm.
Other members of the committee are Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed; Dr. Jane-Frances Agbu; Hon. Fort Dike; Prof. Agbo Madaki; Hon. Ibrahim Zailani and Dr. Rabe Nasir.
