Ololade Adeyanju/
Edo State governor, Gov. Godwin Obaseki and two other aspirants were today disqualified, by APC’s screening committee, from participating in the June 22 Edo governorship primaries.
The two other aspirants are Mr Matthew Iduoriyekemwe and Mr Chris Ogiemwonyi.
But, the 7-member screening committee, headed by Prof. Jonathan Ayuba, cleared three aspirants: Mr Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Hon. Osaro Obaze and Dr Pius Odubu to contest the primaries.
Ayuba spoke on the development, while presenting the committee’s report to the party’s National Chairman, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, at the APC national secretariat in Abuja.
He described the methodology used in screening the aspirants as evidence-based.
His words: “The methodology we used is clear. It was evidence-based. All we did was an interaction.
“We screened six aspirants, three were eligible to contest and three were deemed ineligible to participate.”
Ayuba said that the committee disqualified Obaseki due to what he called the defect in his Higher School Certificate (HSC).
According to him, Obaseki’s name, written in his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate, was issued in error by the NYSC authority.
He said, “Though, His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki, in his nomination form claimed to have obtained a Higher School Certificate (HSC) from an Institute of Continuing Education, Benin, it was observed, however, that no educational certificate such as HSC is known in Nigerian educational system.
“Even then, the same HSC was never presented in the course of the screening exercise. The aspirant admitted that he has never collected it.
“The attestation from the Institute of Continuing Education, Benin, from where the alleged HSC, which was indicated in the field of attendance, is of no consequence.”
He noted that it only attests that Obaseki was a student of the institute.
“So what we had was like an attendance; it was not a result.
“Although, the committee received a petition on his University of Ibadan Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Classics certificate, which he submitted to INEC in 2016, when he first contested as governor, it, on further probing, was presented with original certificate, issued by the university and the original was sighted.
“On the NYSC certificate, dated 6th August, 1980, the committee observed that he bears the name “Obasek” Godwin.
“While this may be an error on the part of the issuing authority, we observed, however, that the aspirant has not taken any step to have the anomaly corrected by the issuing authority.
“In our interaction with the issues raised, we concluded that HSC was defective and the NYSC certificate, and based on the party’s constitution, this has made us to recommend that the above candidate, Obaseki, is not eligible to participate in the election,” he said.
Ayuba mentioned that the names on all the certificates presented by another aspirant, Ogiemwonyi, were in contradiction with one another.
“Also the sworn declaration of age, deposed to by one Capt. Steven on 3rd June, 2016, bore two conflicting names of the aspirant.
“There is discrepancy in all the certificates presented and also the difference in the names contained in the sworn affidavit of June 2016.
“Having regards to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act, APC constitution and the party’s guidelines for the nomination of candidates and the reliance on the cases that have been settled by the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, it is the considered view of the committee that this aspirant does not meet the requirement to participate in the APC primary.
“In view of the findings of the committee above, Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi is not cleared,” he said.
He added that the committee, after screening and the verification of Mr Osaro Obaze’s documents, found him eligible to contest the primary.
Based on the committee’s observation above, the candidate is cleared,” Ayuba said.
Responding, Oshiomhole, who said that the outcome of the committee was subject to appeal, urged any aspirant, who disagreed with the committee’s report, to present his appeal or disagreement to the party’s appeal panel.
But Obaseki in a swift reaction said he would not appeal his disqualification.
In a statement issued by Mr Crusoe Osagie, his Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Obaseki described the action as “a mockery of the democratic process”.
His words: “We have watched the mockery of democratic process, which Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is administering and superintending over in our great party the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“It has been an unfortunate, disheartening and dreadful spectacle.
“We had initially asserted that going by the open display and enthronement of illegality by one man in the party that comprises several organs and eminent personalities, there is no way that Gov. Godwin Obaseki would get a fair assessment in the run up to the nomination of candidates to fly the flag of the party in the forthcoming Edo gubernatorial election.”
“…This open show of shame, illegality and travesty of justice was the brand of democracy which Oshiomhole had reduced the APC into.
“The situation is quite saddening because this is a party supposedly reputed for change, equity and social justice.
“We have, therefore, decided that it would be effort in futility to appeal whatever the unjust outcome of the evaluation and screening process of the APC will be.
“(This is) especially when Comrade Oshiomhole has declared that he is the Supreme Court and ultimate determiner of the fate and future of our great party.
“We wish Oshiomhole luck in his maladministration of the party and trust that the Almighty will help our country to find the path to true liberty, freedom and justice.
“We call on all party members and the teeming supporters of Gov. Obaseki to remain calm and await further directives.”
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