A former Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, Mr Samson Osagie, on Sunday blamed the crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress, in Edo State on the choice of Mr Godwin Obaseki as the governor of the state by the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole.
Osagie, who said this in an interview with The PUNCH said he and others including Obaseki’s family members warned Oshiomhole against the choice of Obaseki as his successor in the 2016 election but he would not listen to them.
“The war of attrition in Edo State was precipitated by the wrong choice of candidate of the APC in 2016. I said wrong choice of candidate because at the end of the tenure of former governor Adams Oshiomhole in November 2016 after eight years in office, what would have informed the choice of a successor ought to have been factors such as those who are familiar with the social, political and economic conditions of the state.
“Secondly, it would have also been important for those who understand the challenges of the state and have contributed to the development of the state in one way or the other to take over from the comrade governor who laid a very solid foundation for the social, political and economic development of the state because Adams Oshiomhole touched virtually all areas of human endeavours as governor of the state. Unfortunately, while some persons like us resisted the choice that was eventually made in the person of the current Governor Obaseki, the comrade governor did not actually see what we saw at that time,” he said.
The immediate past Executive Director of the Nigeria Communication Satellite Limited said Obaseki believed that he needed to retire the political class in order to have his way.
But the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr Crusoe Osagie, said, “I don’t understand what he meant by wrong choice. How can he be wrong choice now? He has been governor for three years. They feel disenfranchised because the politics of “Ghana Must Go” is no longer working in Edo State and they are angry.
“Obaseki has been governor for more than three years and he has made the most remarkable stride in the state. The current approval rate showed over 80 per cent, so you’re the judge.”
