…demand his immediate sack
…vow to use party machinery at national level to effect his removal
. No automatic second term ticket for Obaseki, EPM insists
. They want to destroy the party, we’ll deal with them- Edo APC chair
Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin
The internal crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress in Edo State worsened at the weekend with some stakeholders demanding the immediate removal of the Chairman of the state chapter of the ruling party, Anselm Ojezua, from office.
Ojezua had incurred the wrath of some powerful party stakeholders loyal to the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, for ordering the disbandment of a group within the party in the state, Edo Peoples Movement, for opposing the second term ambition of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Ojezua and the APC exco in the state had on Thursday threatened to take decisive and concrete actions against the EPM and its members, noting that the existence of such an alien group was not supported by the party’s constitution.
He had warned that the APC in Edo would not allow the “reckless antics of shameless and selfish individuals to dictate the fortunes of the party.”
The party chairman had further explained that the decision to ban the EPM was to preserve and protect the integrity of the party, since the group had refused to desist from associating its “nefarious activities” with the state chapter of the APC.
Ojezua had said, “Information reaching us indicates that rather than heed the legitimate directives of the party leadership, these elements have heightened their activities by holding meetings in some Local Government Areas (LGAs) within the state, purporting same to be meeting of the APC.
“Consequently, we have decided that this is time to take concrete and decisive steps to preserve and protect the integrity of the party; we cannot allow the reckless antics of shameless and selfish individuals to dictate the fortunes of our party. We have a duty to instill party discipline within our ranks in Edo State and we shall do that.”
The EPM, which claims to have the mandate to shop for a replacement for Governor Obaseki in the 2020 governorship election in the state, has always been very critical of the current administration in Edo.
Its leaders, who are mainly loyalists of the immediate past governor of the state, who is the current APC national chairman, Oshiomhole, have been at the forefront of moves to sack Governor Obaseki from office.
EPM Convener and former attorney general and commissioner for justice in the state, Mr. Henry Idahagbon, had exclusively told The Point in Benin that his group, which was an offshoot of the APC in the state, had the mandate to look for another governorship candidate that would fly the flag of the ruling party in next year’s governorship election in Edo.
Idahagbon had said that the APC in Edo had the conviction that it would lose the governorship of the state if it fielded incumbent Governor Obaseki for a second term in the 2020 gubernatorial election in the state.
He stressed that the APC in the state had made up its mind on Obaseki and that there was no going back on the decision to have a replacement for him in next year’s governorship poll.
According to him, “If he wants to kill us, let him go ahead. They can come and kill us, but we remain committed to the two ideas of EPM, which are to resuscitate the party in the state and to restore it to its winning ways. Our mandate is to shop for a credible alternative to Godwin Obaseki for the 2020 governorship election, because the party will lose if we field Governor Obaseki.”
Idahagbon had further accused Governor Obaseki of creating conflict in the state chapter of the APC.
Another chieftain of the EPM in Edo, who is also the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, had recently deplored the administration of Governor Obaseki for allegedly abandoning critical projects initiated by the immediate past governor of the state, Oshiomhole.
Agba also threw his weight behind the leadership and members of the EPM in the state in its bid to upstage the governor, saying he was proud to be a member of a group on a mission to rescue Edo from the hands of Obaseki.
He had said that the current administration in the state had, by its action against ensuring continuity in the implementation of the projects of its predecessor, disappointed the people of the state.
However, leading the weekend demand for Ojezua’s sack as state chairman of the Edo APC was the former speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Thomas Okosun.
Okosun told The Point that the crisis that had enveloped the APC in Edo was the result of the poor or complete lack of leadership by Ojezua, who, he said instead of pursuing the path of peace in the party, had chosen to side with a governor allegedly fraternising with members of the opposition party other than members of the party that brought him to office.
He accused the governor and his deputy of forming what they called Obaseki/Shuaibu Movement, which he said Ojezua had given public endorsement and even urged all party members in the state to support.
Okosun said, “So, I wonder what moral right Anslem Ojezua has to threaten members of EPM, who believe in saving the party from the path that he and Governor Godwin Obaseki are taking our party. Anslem Ojezua has never hidden that fact that he is a factional party chairman, as his sole interest is what he can gain from the governor rather than the survival of our party.
“Therefore, I urge Barr Anslem Ojezua to immediately resign his position as Chairman of our party, as he has lost the support of the majority of our party members across the state, and pave way for a more credible party chairman, who will be ready to unite all aggrieved party members in preparation for the 2020 gubernatorial election.
“Where he refuses to heed this humble advice, myself and other members of our party will not hesitate to call on the National Working Committee of our party (APC) to save our party from the hands of Anslem Ojezua and his co- travellers before the party goes into extinction in the state.”
Okosun added, “With a divided house, it will be near impossibility for our party to retain power in the state at this critical stage in our body polity. What we need is a unified front to confront the opposition political parties.
“Our party is already too fragile under Ojezua that he ought to be thinking of how to strengthen our party. Unfortunately, Anslem Ojezua does not care about what happens to our party as long as he is able to please his pay masters.”
Similarly, the EPM Convener, Idahagbon, who spoke with The Point on the phone from London, dared the Edo APC chairman to carry out his threat to sanction the group.
He described Ojezua as the most incompetent state party chairman in the history of politics in Nigeria.
Idahagbon said, “Anslem Ojezua is high on brewery products. He has never won in his unit or ward, let alone his local government. He’s a serial failure, politically. We in the EPM dare him to do his worst.
“He’s a serial failure and the most incompetent state chairman in the history of political parties in Nigeria.”
But the state APC Chairman insisted that the party in the state would act in line with the constitution of the APC in dealing with the EPM, if its members refused to disband.
He accused the EPM members of destroying and creating factions within the APC in the state, saying that the activities of such a group were forbidden by the party’s constitution.
Ojezua, however, said he would prefer to remain silent and not dignify the EPM on its call for his removal as the APC state chairman.
The Edo APC chairman told The Point, “It’s (EPM) devoted to the destruction of the party and I have a duty to preserve the party. There’s a world of difference between EPM and OSM. The OSM is dedicated to named members of the party who are aspiring for office, just like the Buhari Support Organisation. And that is legitimate. That is not a faction.
“But the EPM is organising a group within the party for destructive purposes. And that is forbidden by the constitution of the party. There are processes and we’ll follow due process. If they fail to heed our directives, we’ll follow the party’s constitution in dealing with them.”
On what action the APC would take on the EPM’s claim of having its members spread across the 18 local government areas of the state, Ojezua said, “When we get to the bridge, we’ll cross it.”