The Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has said the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, stays suspended from the state chapter of the party.

The Obaseki-led faction of the party in the state, in November, announced the suspension of Mr Oshiomhole after an alleged vote of no confidence was passed on him by 18 chairmen of the local chapters of the party in the state.

They accused Mr Oshiomhole of causing the worsening crisis in the state chapter.

Contrary to the claim made by the governor’s faction, some LG chairmen of the party in the state denied endorsing the “vote of no confidence” passed on Mr Oshiomhole and reiterated their support for their national chairman.

“We are the chairmen of the party in the 18 LGAs and we are not aware of the meeting where a vote of no confidence was passed in the national chairman of our party, Oshiomhole, who is doing very well,” an excerpt from a statement by the leaders of the chairmen and chairman of the party in Etsako West, Ibrahim Akokia, Suleman Bagudu (Etsako Central) and Lugard Alukpe (Owan West) read.

However, Mr Obaseki during a meeting with some leaders of the party from different Wards and LGAs in the state on Friday, insisted that his predecessor and political mentor stays suspended unless “he comes back remorseful and apologetic, we will consider taking him back.”

“Can you imagine a national chairman that is creating problems in his own house? Because of that, we had to suspend him and he remains suspended,” Mr Obaseki said.

“We pray that God should have mercy on him because he has done something bad against God and the people of Edo State; he should find his way back into the party and apologize to all of us.”

‘Godfatherism agenda’

The governor also said his predecessor, who in an interview denied nursing a ‘godfather agenda’ in Edo State, selected Philip Shaibu and Osarodion Ogie as his deputy and Secretary to the State Government respectively ”to establish himself as a godfather so they could run to him for settlement.”

“Oshiomhole thought he was setting a trap when he chose Philip Shaibu as my deputy and Osarodion Ogie as Secretary to the State Government. He was thinking that we will always quarrel, fight and then run to him for settlement,” he stated in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES today by his spokesperson, Osagie Crusoe.

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He also alleged that Mr Oshiomhole cancelled the primaries conducted by the party at the state level for the 2019 general elections and conducted his “because he could not control us at the executive, he manipulated the legislature so he can use the house to impeach us.”

The power tussle between the duo has deepened in recent weeks despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s calls for unity in the party beyond 2023.