National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday urged the electorate in Edo State not to vote for Governor Godwin Obaseki in Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
He called on the voters in Edo to reject Obaseki, who is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, as he’s not deserving of even a single vote in the election.
Tinubu spoke in a sponsored broadcast on TVC in Lagos.
According to the former Lagos State governor, “He (Obaseki) does not deserve any democratic ballot paper. Don’t vote for him, I appeal to all of you.”
He argued that while he and others were in the forefront of the nation’s democratic struggle in the 1990s, Obaseki was then nowhere to be found, and so could not appreciate democratic institutions.
Tinubu stated, “I want to appeal to you to reject Godwin Obaseki in this coming election. I have suffered with many others to bring about this democratic regime, that today, we are enjoying in the country. Then, Godwin Obaseki didn’t participate in any aspect of the struggle to enshrine democracy in the country.
“Therefore, he could not understand the value and the pains associated with this democratic struggle.”
The APC chieftain also accused Obaseki of preventing 14 of the 24 elected Edo House of Assembly members from being inaugurated.
He said Obaseki shunned the advice of the National Assembly and the Attorney-General of the Federation to allow the 14 members of the House of Assembly to be inaugurated.
Tinubu said Obaseki rather supervised the destruction of the House of Assembly complex in further attempt to prevent the elected lawmakers from being sworn-in.
He, therefore, urged the people of Edo State to ensure they meted out punishment to Governor Obaseki.
Tinubu said, “He demonstrated the act of dictatorship, lack of respect for rule of law, lack of respect for you, the people who voted for those legislators prevented from being sworn-in. Today, he now comes back as a democrat wanting you to vote for him. Please, I appeal to you, reject him.
“Several institutions and leaders of our country appealed to him to respect constitutional democracy but he rejected all entreaties. He rejected the appeal of the National Assembly.
“When the Attorney-General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria enumerated the path of honour and the constitution of the country, rather than obey and respect the law, he vandalised the House of Assembly in Edo by removing the roofs, burning gravels and rocks at the entrance of the House of Assembly only to prevent these 14 members from being sworn-in. Now, he is asking for our votes, your votes, our dear people. Is he a democrat? No, he is not.”
The crisis in the Edo State House of Assembly began when it was inaugurated under controversial circumstances at night with only nine, out of 24 lawmakers-elect, on June 17, 2019, following a proclamation by the governor.
The lawmakers, who were not part of the process, as well as the APC, rejected the process and called on the governor to issue a fresh proclamation.
However, a Federal High Court in Rivers State barred the governor from doing so. A separate court also barred the National Assembly from taking over the Edo Assembly.
This worsened the crisis within the APC in the state and deepened the feud between Obaseki and his predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole, who was also the National Chairman of the APC.
The governor orchestrated the suspension of Oshiomhole from the party at the ward level. In retaliation, Oshiomhole ensured that Obaseki did not clinch the governorship ticket of the APC and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu emerged as the winner of the primary.
The crisis in the Edo State chapter of the APC and the multiple court rulings on Oshiomhole’s suspension snowballed into a national crisis that culminated in the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), dissolving the National Working Committee of the APC causing Oshiomhole to lose his position.
An attempt by the aggrieved lawmakers to be inaugurated was, however, scuttled by men claiming to be renovating the Assembly complex.
However, the APC claimed the men were thugs hired by the governor who was afraid of being impeached.
Tinubu, who is rumoured to be nursing a Presidential ambition, is an ardent supporter of Oshiomhole.