An aspirant in the forthcoming Edo State Governorship election under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), Engineer Chris Ogiemwonyi has said that Governor Godwin Obaseki should not be allowed again to fly the party’s flag during the September 19 election.
He said the governor was foisted on the state in 2016 through the instrumentality of indirect mode of governorship primary by the party and stressed that the governor does not deserve a second term in office if the state most progress.
Ogiemwonyi who spoke at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja said but for Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the then State governor, now National Chairman of the party and the adoption of indirect primary, Governor Obaseki was not in the political calculation in Edo State in 2016.
Endorsing the direct mode of primary adopted by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party for the conduct of June 22 party governorship primary in Edo State, the governorship hopeful said direct primary would enable people determine their leaders.
Ogiemwonyi who vehemently opposed indirect primary recalled what he suffered from the system in 2016.
According to him, “I saw what indirect (primary) did to me in 2016. I nurtured the so called delegates for 9 months. I was giving soft loans.
The shock I had was the then Governor (Oshiomhole) said it was Obaseki. Obaseki wasn’t a player in 2016. It was between myself and Odubu. They couldn’t vote for me because of the body language of the Governor.
The former Minister of State Works said with the attitude of the Governor towards his benefactor was nothing but a show of ingratitude.
According to Ogiemwonyi, ” Godwin did not campaign. Oshiomhole gave him so much gratitude but he has shown alot of ingratitude to Oshiomhole. He got that job without sweat.
“But I believe with this direct primaries now people will have their way. Nobody will use government apparatus to suppress one person,” he stated.
