A faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo South, has warned the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, not to hold any rally in the south.
The warning is coming on the heels of a rally last Saturday at Auchi, where Oshiomhole received over 30,000 defectors from the People’s Democratic Party into the APC.
Addressing journalists in Benin City, the Political Adviser to Governor Godwin Obaseki (Edo South), Hon. Monday Iyoha Osaigbovo, wondered why the law enforcement agencies allowed the Auchi rally to hold in spite of “a current ban on political rallies” in the state.
“We are putting Oshiomhole on notice that from now on, it is not what he thinks; we want to tell him that it’s all over.
“We would not allow that in Edo South. If he has done it and succeeded, we would not allow it in Edo South.
“We will resist Oshiomhole; he will not come here and try to play demi-god”, Osaigbovo said, alleging that their people were attacked at the Auchi rally.
On why the Edo APC crisis is proving difficult to resolve, Osaigbovo alleged that it is because the national chairman that was supposed to be the arbiter was an interested party.
He further alleged that Oshiomhole was the one who set up the Edo People’s Movement (EPM), saying “we don’t trust him; we do not recognise him as a member of APC in Edo State because he has been suspended from his ward and up to the state level,” just as he accused the APC national chairman of factionalising the party in the state.
Asked why Obaseki had rejected peace efforts so far, Osaigbovo said “we are waiting for the Presidency to set up a committee; we are very, very open for reconciliation.”
He said APC in the state was now a more organised party. He denied that Obaseki was begging leaders of the party over his second term bid, but insisted that 95 percent of the leaders were with the governor, whom he claimed was in control of all organs of the party.
Reacting to Osaigbovo’s allegations, factional State Publicity Secretary of the party, Chris Azebamwan, said APC is guided by a constitution and Iyoha was not an official of the party and he was therefore not qualified to speak for the party.
“In order not to be guilty of contempt, there are so many information I would have said much but they are in court and only the court will ultimately take a decision on that.”
On the allegation that Oshiomhole organised a rally and carried out violence against people, he said: “Nobody organises a marriage ceremony and then disrupts the reception, it defies logic. However, what is the business of government in organising political party rallies?
“The state exco of the party organises rally and then you say the same organisers will go and disrupt it? When has it become the responsibility of the state government to organize party rally? They should face governance and administration.
“On the day of the rally, the chairman of Estako Central, John Akhigbe, organised a rally in Fugar so what is the big deal? Is it even proper that the state exco of your party is organising a rally and a local government area chairman will organise another rally on the same day?”
On the rejection of reconciliation committees, Azebanmwan said: “The Senator Ahmed Lawan committee was set as a result of the decision of the last NEC meeting of the APC and the committee was set up not for Edo State only but to reconcile all grieving members in all the states of the federation where there is crisis in our party so their rejection only shows that they are not ready for peace.”
THE SUN, NIGERIA
