The governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has described his relationship with the immediate past governor of the state and the national chairman of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, as “still frosty”.
Obaseki, who spoke to the media in Abuja on Monday evening after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari to indicate his interest to run for office said:
“The relationship is still frosty but I am doing all I can to try and make it warm just for the sake of Edo people. I am committed to whatever it will take to have peace and not to lose lives in Edo, within the law, whatever I can do that is constitutional, I will do.’’
But he was far from backing down in the recent politicking by the party chairman to displace him from his seat as governor. According to Obaseki, he has the full support of his counterparts, all the governors elected on the platform of the APC, in line with the principles of the party, which encourages continuity.
Obaseki said the party chairman had stuck to his guns because he had been wrongly guided.
“The problem in Edo is not from within Edo, it is from outside. So, the person I am competing or contesting against is not in Edo, he is Abuja.
Asked how far he was willing to go to find peace with Oshiomhole, the governor said: “Whatever I can do that is within the law, whatever I can do that is constitutional, I will do”.
Obaseki said his achievements across sectors would speak for him at the poll, adding that the people wanted him to conclude the programmes and policies initiated for their benefit.
“Well, I believe having been governor of the state for three years, you can check with Edo people whether as Governor, I have served creditably, I have served the people of Edo.
“The general consensus is that we have done well as a government and that people would like us to continue with the laudable programs and policies which we have been taking over in the last three years.
“If you recall, when I got into power as governor, one thing Edo was noted for was human trafficking. We had over 30,000 Edo citizens who were in Libya waiting to cross into Europe. Today, in less than three years, we have stopped it.
“We’re celebrated globally, across the continent in terms of the reforms we’ve undertaken in basic education in this country.
“Those children, I can’t abandon them. We can’t stop what we have achieved to date. So based on that, we believe that because of a connection which we have created with our people, we have no doubt in our minds that we’ll win any elections, direct/indirect, general elections in Edo state,” he said.
