The Screening Committee of the All Progressives Congress for the Edo State governorship primaries on Friday disqualified the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, from participating in the exercise.
The Chairman of the Screening Committee, Prof. Jonathan Ayuba, who spoke to newsmen in Abuja, said Obaseki and two other aspirants, Chris Ogiemwonyi and Mathew Iduoriyekenwen, were disqualified from standing for the primaries.
The indication about this outcome came Wednesday when the governor after attending the screening exercise of the party made it clear he would not obtain justice from the panel.
Obaseki has been having a running battle with the immediate past governor of the state Adams Oshiomhole who incidentally is the national chairman of APC.
The governor had feared and spoke out that Oshiomhole would manipulate the process against him.
Ayuba said in the case of the governor was disqualified because of a defective Higher School Certificate.
He said the document Obaseki produced only attested to his attendance and not a certificate.
He also said the committee could not ascertain the authenticity of his National Youth Service Corps Discharge Certificate.
The members of the seven-man screening committee said the report was conclusive, adding that they all signed it.
Ayuba said the committee was thorough in its job.
He said the process was recorded and the unedited recording would be made available to the party.
Obaseki in his reaction said that he would not appeal the disqualification as it would amount to an exercise in futility with Oshiomhole desparate bid to stop him.
The governor in a statement by his media aide, Crusoe Osagie, shortly after the seven-man panel announced his disqualification, said,
“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 Governor 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.
“It is unfortunate that this open show of shame, illegality and travesty of justice is the brand of democracy which Comrade Oshiomhole has 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, 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 well 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.”
