Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki said on Wednesday night that he was unsure of getting justice from the screening committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) which screened him alongside other aspirants contesting for the party’s ticket.
The screening committee is chaired by Prof. Jonathan Ayuba.
Speaking to journalists after his screening which lasted close to two hours at the APC secretariat in Abuja, Obaseki said: “The last time I came here, I asked that National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole should recuse himself from the process in the interest of peace and justice. But as a party man, I have had to go through the screening like everybody else.
“Since he is the judge and the jury in this matter, I will just wait for the outcome of the screening. I have given them all the information they need; the controversial certificate from the University of Ibadan has been tendered.
“Like I said, as a party man, I have endured through the screening process but I do not believe that I will get justice because Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is an interested party in the Edo process.”
On what transpired at the screening session, he said, “One of the questions that was asked was why did I issue a gazette that will prevent the party from performing direct elections in Edo. That did I not see it as an anti party activity? I just felt that if we put politics above the lives of the people of Edo State, that we may be missing the point”.
Obaseki arrived for the screening at about 8p.m in company with Senator Domingo Obende.
The governor had reported earlier in the day for the screening but left when the committee said it was not ready for him.
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He was said to have been told to wait or if he had an appointment to go for it and call the committee to know when they would be ready for him.
However, the governor raised the alarm when according to him the committee did not respond to his calls on when to come back for the screening.
The governor’s spokesman, Crusoe Osagie, explained what transpired: “The governor arrived early but the screening committee was not ready. He was given the options to either wait for one hour or if he had an appointment to keep, he could go and call them to know if they were ready.
“The governor, who had a Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) meeting, went for the meeting and called when he was done, but the members of the screening committee did not pick their phones.”
However, Obaseki eventually returned to the party’s National Secretariat at about 8.00 p.m and was screened.
Four of the aspirants – Pastor Ize-Iyamu, Chief Chris Ogiemwonyi, Dr. Pius Odubu and Mr. Osaro Obaze – were screened between 2p.m and 4p.m.
Mr. Matthew Iduoriyekemwen was the only aspirant yet to be screened on Wednesday night.
His screening has been scheduled for Thursday.
