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Wike Apologises to Oshiomhole over Obaseki As Governors’ War of Words Heighten
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has described his Edo State counterpart, Godwin Obaseki, as a politician who is given to serial betrayal of those who helped to advance his political aspiration.
Wike spoke at the inauguration of Community Secondary School, Omuanwa, in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state on Monday.
He said he owed a former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole, an apology for opposing him when he insisted that Obaseki was a treacherous and ungrateful man.
This was contained in a press statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri.
Wike said Oshiomhole was right then and has been vindicated given Obaseki’s recent display of ingratitude to the Peoples Democratic Party and to those who helped him to secure his second term.
He said, “If you go and check the DNA of Godwin Obaseki, what you will see in that DNA is serial betrayal and ungratefulness. Let me stand today to apologise to Adams Oshiomhole who has been vindicated by telling us that we will see the true colour, the insincerity and the ungratefulness of Godwin Obaseki.
“So, let me apologise to Adams Oshiomhole and to say you have been vindicated. You were right, we were wrong. I have never seen people who are so ungrateful in life. I have never seen people who can betray everything in life.”
Wike claimed that Obaseki was never his match where character matters because he is consistent, sincere and a forthright team player, who has never betrayed any person who helped him politically.
He explained that the problem in Edo State stemmed from Obaseki asking the national leadership of the PDP to dissolve Edo PDP executive when the leaders had been elected before he joined the party and provided formidable structure for him to win the election.
He added, “I have invested in the party, Rivers State has invested in the party. We have voted for the PDP since 1999 till now. Ask Governor Obaseki, has he done anything for the PDP?
“Has he voted for the PDP? The only election he voted was his own election when we gave him umbrella. So who has more stakes in the PDP? I have more stakes because I have supported the PDP always.
“You have never supported the PDP, rather it was when your godfather chased you away and you came begging, kneeling down. People came with pressure and we allowed you. Ordinarily, you are a tenant.”
He said it was unfortunate that Obaseki could describe him as a bully now that he is being called to order.
“You came to beg a bully for you to have a ticket. A bully was your DG campaign and a bully bullied you into Government House. What a shame. It did not only end there.
“You came with your wife to thank the bully that after God, the bully made it possible for you to be there,” Wike added.
Obaseki had described the personal attacks by Wike against his Deputy, Philip Shaibu, as “most unfortunate and totally uncalled for.”
In a statement, the governor called on the leaders of the PDP to call Wike to order, noting that the issues raised by his deputy were germane and needed to be resolved in the interest of the party.
He said, “The recent personal attacks by the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, against my Deputy Governor, Rt Philip Shaibu is, to say the least, most unfortunate and totally uncalled for.
“If Governor Wike was one who is wont to show respect and courtesy to his colleague-governors, he would have ordinarily reached out to me to express his concerns about the views made by my deputy governor, rather than embarking on this unwarranted public onslaught.
“My deputy governor was a former National President of the National Association of Nigerian Students and his comment is representative of the essence of the nation’s youth population, who are inclined to openly speak up and question the status quo.”
“If Governor Wike cannot understand and adequately respond to the style and character of the Nigerian youth, how can he aspire to lead them?”
The Punch
Adebayo Adelabu, one of the aspirants for the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket in Oyo State, has alleged irregularities in the party’s governorship primary election held on Thursday.
Adelabu, who expressed dissatisfaction over the conduct of the exercise, stated that the primary was characterized by misconduct ranging from disenfranchisement of his supporters in some wards and the commencement of election process earlier than scheduled.
Speaking after the conclusion of the primary election at IMG School, Ward 9, Ibadan South-East Local Government Area, the immediate past Minister of Power alleged that the process was neither free, fair nor credible.
He said: “Before our people started getting to their various wards, they have already conducted the election and they wrote the figures they want as results.
“In some wards, our people were prevented from voting. They were intimidated. They were chased away violently. And in some wards, voting did not take place at all.
“All this kind of misconduct is not good at this stage of our democracy in Nigeria, and something has to be done about it.”
Adelabu, therefore, vowed to come up with serious petitions against all the irregularities not just in Ibadan, but across all the five geopolitical zones in Oyo State.
“Also, conduct of many party executives is uncalled for, a lot of people bought forms and they were cleared. And they decided to conduct affirmation of a particular candidate in some wards.
“There was nothing like consensus arrangement. It was just a figment of their weird imagination. The instruction we got from Abuja was that we should all carry out free, fair, and transparent direct primary election where every aspirant will be given a level playing ground and the election will be conducted peacefully.
“Where did they get the idea of consensus candidates? And this is what happened in a lot of the wards. And it didn’t go down well with us. “We don’t want that. We are going to assess the gravity of this gross misconduct and the potential impact on the overall result of this election.
“I will put a petition forward to the appropriate authorities so that it can be deeply investigated and there must be consequences to this. The people who perpetrated this misconduct must be identified and punished. And the aspirants involved also need to be suspended because this is not good for us.
“Democracy is the government of the people by the people and for the people where nobody should be disenfranchised. Once you are a party member, you should have that freedom, that authority to pick an aspirant of your choice as the flag bearer of the party.
“This is Ibadan, this is Oyo State and this the centre of politics in the southwest. And we should be able to lay good examples and the process should produce a candidate that won transparently, freely and fairly,” he said.
Meanwhile, at Ward 9, Ibadan South-East Local Government, Adelabu, polled 430 to defeat his closest rival, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, who had 3 votes.
Al Nassr captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, has finally won the Saudi Pro League title.
They were confirmed champions on Thursday, thanks to a 4-2 drubbing of relegation battlers, Damac.
The title race had gone down to the final day after Al-Nassr dramatically dropped points against Al-Hilal the previous week.
Jorge Jesus’ side knew there could be no mistakes against a Damac side fighting for survival at the other end of the table.
Ronaldo was on the scoresheet, as his brace helped Al Nassr secure the title ahead of rivals Al Hilal.
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has announced his withdrawal from the All Progressives Congress governorship primary election in the state.
Fubara made this known in a statement personally signed on Wednesday, saying he would support whoever emerges as the party’s candidate, The Nations reported.
The governor said his decision followed extensive consultations with his family, friends, and political associates.
“After deep reflection and extensive consultations with my family, friends, and associates, I have taken the difficult but necessary decision to withdraw from the APC governorship primaries. I do so with a full heart and with a firm commitment to support whoever emerges as the candidate of our great party,” Fubara said.
Fubara said although the decision was difficult, he remained committed to supporting whoever would emerge as the APC governorship candidate.
According to him, leadership demands sacrifice and personal ambition must sometimes give way to the collective interest of the people.
Meanwhile, the embattled governor expressed appreciation to his supporters for their loyalty, prayers and sacrifices throughout the political process, acknowledging that many would feel disappointed by his withdrawal.
He said his silence in recent weeks was “deliberate and strategic,” adding that it was guided by the higher interest of the state.
Tone Cole, APC chieftain and 2027 governorship aspirant in Rivers State, also announced his withdrawal from the race, saying his decision was, among other reasons, in the interest of the party’s unity.
