Temidayo Akinsuyi, Lagos

Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, a former governor of Edo State at the weekend said efforts by President Muhammadu Buhari, Oba of Benin, Ewuare II and Alhaji Aliko Dangote and others to reconcile Governor Godwin Obaseki and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has not yielded any positive result.

In a statement made available to Daily Independent, Osunbor also said it is unfortunate that the Reconciliation Committee set up by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party has not yielded the desired result with the governorship primaries less than a month away.

Osunbor who said the signs ahead are not good also appeal to the party leaders and warring parties to sheathe their sword and avoid playing into the hands of the opposition who are waiting in the wings to benefit from the crisis.

He also appealed to APC leaders in the state to tread with caution not to fall into legal pitfalls after the guber election.

He said “The crisis in Edo State Chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) which has simmered for about two years now threatens to boil over as we draw closer to the Party’s gubernatorial primaries on June 22. This portends disastrous consequences for the Party and the people of Edo State unless it is resolved promptly before the primaries.

“Given my position in the Party I have made efforts outside of public glare towards bringing about reconciliation by speaking to the two leading protagonists, the National Chairman Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and His Excellency the Governor of Edo State Godwin Obaseki as well as some of their supporters.


“I also tried to rally some elders of the Party from the State to broker peace. It is common knowledge that our revered royal father, His Royal Majesty the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II made his own efforts including appealing to our President Mohammadu Buhari to help broker peace among these two illustrious sons of Edo State.

“It is also believed that their mutual friend Dr. Aliko Dangote made repeated efforts at reconciliation to no avail. So did a number of others that I know.

When therefore the National Caucus of the party resolved at its meeting of 21 November 2019 to institute a National Reconciliation Committee to address the crises in various states of the Federation, which resolution was upheld by a decision of the National Executive Committee of the party the following day, there seemed to be light at the end of the tunnel.

“However, this has not happened till date as the National Reconciliation Committee which was reconstituted in February 2020 has not yet completed its assignment.


“There is now a chance that the Committee may be confronted with a fait accompli and overtaken by events if the Edo primaries (and guber elections) are held before it concludes its assignment.

“That would be tantamount to medicine after death. It will be extremely risky and ill-advised for the party to conduct its primaries, talk less of going into the governorship election bitterly divided; hence it has become urgent and compelling to hasten the process of reconciliation of all aggrieved persons without further delay.

“The reason that reconciliation is imperative is that if the Party conducts rancorous primaries and goes into the governorship elections divided, winning will become more difficult than it should be ordinarily, given the weakness of the opposition in the State.

“Even if the APC candidate wins the election the victory will be tenuous because of the threat of litigation that is almost certain to follow. This is why we must as a party tread with caution.

“It is often erroneously thought that elections end when INEC’s Returning Officer announces a winner but this has over the years proved not to be

“At best it can be likened to the end of the first half in a game of football. The second half which is even more decisive plays out in the Election Petitions Tribunal and courts of law and way up to the Supreme Court where it involves governorship election.

“If and when that happens the matter moves from the political arena to the judicial arena and no one can ever predict with certainty what the outcome will be or what the courts will decide. Examples are legion where the courts have shocked many by declaring a different result from what was announced by INEC because a political party had violated its own constitution, the Electoral Act and other laws including infringing on the rights of its members or engaged in one form of impunity or the other. Let us not forget so soon how in 2007 the Supreme Court punished PDP for the injustice they did to Ararume.


“It is unhelpful at this stage to dwell in polemics, apportion blame or argue as to whether it is best to adopt direct or indirect primaries which at any rate enjoy equal legitimacy ( along with consensus) under Article 20 of the APC Constitution.

“There is no doubt at all that the APC Candidate will win the forthcoming election but we must be mindful not to lose the victory in court because of a flaw in the process that produced the candidate.

“The pain of such a loss will be too agonising to bear. The leaders of the main opposition in Edo have been quoted in the media as saying that they are hoping and praying to benefit from the APC crisis so that they can recover through the court the governorship that they lost in the court. APC must not make the mistake of “gifting” them the governorship whether by act of commission or omission.

“For now the signs are not good. There is danger ahead. We must avoid pitfalls. I, therefore, make this clarion call on the APC national leadership to act urgently and decisively to put our house in order by fostering reconciliation before it is too late. We need to tread with caution.”

https://www.independent.ng/oba-of-benin-buhari-dangote-couldnt-reconcile-obaseki-oshiomhole-osunbor/

We hear...

Posterity will take charge.

If those big guys including Buhari and the Oba cannot settle this matter,then this case is truly hopeless. Las Las Oshiomhole will be shamed

For their pockets.
Edo election is like royal rumble.

Freestainworld:
they should call indaboski to settle them, they need wrestling miracle to gel together

They...Indaboski...

nanauju:
They couldn't reconcile tinubu and ambode as well

...Tinubu...Ambode...

AllenSpencer:
Good!

Obaseki needs to taught a lesson he will never forget

...to be taught...

Indispensable85:


He didn't buy pdp form.

...PDP...

RuudVanNisteroy:

Oshiomhole candidate will win. Free and fair elections ended in 1993 when Abiola won the election that got annulled.

Oshiomhole's...

Oba of Benin that cannot settle dispute within his state, is that one an Oba abi na

Obo of Benin....

Give ebora owu, OBJ, with just one call, them go settle....

Obaseki and Oshiomole fight is like Biggie and Tupac.

Lines have been crossed, rules of engagement have been broken.


They will fight until one or both go down.

Can't the Oba of Benin place a curse on these troublemakers who don't want peace in his domain?

They couldn't reconcile tinubu and ambode as well

Power Power Power. Nobody even dey talk of bettering d lives of citizens of d state. Politics in Nigeria is very irritating.

How we want take settle this matter now?

U

Oshiomole is an arrant arrogant being. My anger in all these is that he is not opposing the governor on failure of governance.

Nobody is interested in the well being of Edo people. I really want to beg my Edo brothers to vote whom they can trust in the coming election. Even if it is not APC or PDP.
Again do not join any camp and fight for these men. Nigerian politicians are not worthy fighting for. They will reconcile las las and those who will die will die. At the end you are the losers.

Stupid people and stupid story too

What I hate most is the trend of indifference in the body language of President Buhari. With his position as the President he should naturally be the arbiter to resolve conflicts and party issues when all available avenues has been exhausted. A President that lost Zamfara and Rivers to internal squabbles is a lazy, figure head Leader.

Governance= Zero

Party Politics= Zero

Banditry=Zero

Corruption= Zero

Economy= Zero

Overall it's obvious Buhari is an incompetent leader and that's so pathetic for a Country like ours in 2020. It's hard being a Zombie or BMC.

Hofbrauhaus:
How we want take settle this matter now?

Make we invite Obasanjo join

taa

dangote always going about reconciling this and that..oga monopoly please sit your busy body ass down.

if the status quo(corruption and terror from the ruling class) wasnt paying him, he want be going up and down.

he should start by stopping the killing of his innocent kinsmen in kaduna.

then reconcile wealth and most nigerians first, before we know hes worth his onions

they should call indaboski to settle them, they need wrestling miracle to gel together

Their matter has gone beyond 'be careful '. Every combatant in this edo battle should fortify their arsenal and a prepare for final onslaught.

timekeeper1:
Oba of Benin that cannot settle dispute within his state, is that one an Oba abi na

Obo of Benin....

Give ebora owu, OBJ, with just one call, them go settle....

You are insulting one that can feed your generation

Good!

Obaseki needs to be taught a lesson he will never forget

Not that they can’t, but they won’t..