Governor Obaseki Walks A tight Rope As Governors’ Meeting With Tinubu Resolves For Direct Primaries

The crisis bedeviling the Edo and Ondo States chapters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the mode of Party primaries for the election of Governorship candidates of the Party in the two States may have been sealed and laid to rest by the National leadership of the Party.

While the National Working Committee of the Party (NWC) resolved to adopt the direct Party Primaries which was being contested by the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led faction of the Party in Edo State that prefers Indirect Primaries, a meeting of some key members of the Progressives Governors Forum met in Lagos on Sunday with the National Leader of the Party, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, where the choice of a Direct Party Primaries was adopted and may have been finally sealed.

It was gathered that the meeting, which was attended by Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, Godwin Obaseki of Edo, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano, Mai Buni of Yobe, Adegbyega Oyetola of Osun, Abubakar Bello of Niger, and Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos met a brick wall with the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Tinubu refusing to give Governors Godwin Obaseki and Rotimi Akeredolu the option of first refusal as the Party’s candidates in the September and October governorship election for Edo and Ondo States respectively.

It was gathered that Tinubu politely told the APC Governors that it was unfair for them to be pushing for their colleagues to have the right of first refusal through indirect Party primaries, noting that the Party is desirous of staging credible primaries in preparations for the 2020 governorship elections in the two States.

Tinubu was quoted to have said that; “democratic primary remains a core element of internal democracy which must not be jettisoned,” adding that “the importance of primary elections to democracy must be respected and not toyed with,” thus admonished the APC Governors and other party leaders to safeguard it for the choice of standard bearers.

The APC National Leader was also quoted as having said at the meeting that; “I believe in direct primaries as it would boost the confidence of the candidate as he/she prepares for the main governorship election.”

It was gathered that the Progressives Governors Forum led by Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State initially attempted to mount pressure on President Muhammadu Buhari to support their push for right of first refusal for Governors Godwin Obaseki of Edo State and Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State but the President tactically referred them to Asiwaju Tinubu.

The Sunday meeting hosted by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, it was further gathered was on the heels of efforts aimed at dousing the crisis particularly in the Edo State chapter of the APC ahead of the Governorship election in the state in September. The decision or possible resolution of the Edo crisis was expected to automatically rub off on that of Ondo State.

The Party in Edo State has become factionalised following disagreement arising from the manner in which some lawmakers were selected and inaugurated at mid-night by Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration leaving the majority of the lawmakers out of the activities of the House of Assembly.

The development led to a division with a group loyal to the APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole while the other is loyal to Governor Godwin Obaseki.

It was also gathered that as part of moves to resolve the dispute between the two groups, the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, who led the APC Governors to Tinubu, offered to have the remaining lawmakers in Edo State, who are in the majority but were denied inauguration to be sworn-in immediately.

Unfortunately, the offer or proposal did not carry political weight and therefore did not make a catch as the offer was seen as coming too late in the day particularly given the fact that the entire members of the House of Assembly are all members of the APC thus did not see any justification whatsoever, why they were denied inauguration in the first instance. Further checks indicated that the Party leadership reasoned that if the lawmakers have been kept away from the House for about year now, few months more would not make any meaningful difference.

As a result, the resolutions of the Sunday meeting, it was gathered, did not go down well with Governor Obaseki, who is considering the option of moving to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to pick nomination form for the September governorship election.

Governors that attended the two hours meeting included Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, Godwin Obaseki of Edo, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano, Mai Buni of Yobe, Adegbyega Oyetola of Osun, Abubakar Bello of Nigr, and Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos. The Imo State Governor could not make it due to unforeseen circumstances while Governors Babagana Zulum of Borno State, Aminu Masari of Katsina, Simon Lalong of Plateau and Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, among others were absent at the meeting.