The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole said he does not believe that Governor Godwin Obaseki would use the COVID-19 law in Edo state to “discriminate against” the APC.
There are 580 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Edo, the fourth highest in the country, as of June 14.
A new law in the state which is meant to halt the spread of the virus prohibits any gathering of more than 20 people anywhere in Edo.
Mr Obaseki’s spokesperson, Crusoe Osagie said in a statement, earlier on Monday, the state government would enforce “strict compliance” with the law in any political gathering in the state.
“We need to be alive to play politics; we need to live to vote and be voted for in the election. The rules to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in the gazette must be strictly followed by all political parties in the state as the government will not condone any form of violation of the provisions of the gazette by any person or group of persons.
“We’re once more warning persons intent on rubbishing the gains made in curtailing the spread of COVID-19 and compromising our healthcare system to be assured that the full weight of the law would run its cause,” Mr Osagie said in the statement.
But Mr Oshiomhole on Monday said if the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would assembly 5,000 delegates in the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, for their governorship primary, he saw no reason why the APC would be disallowed from having between 100 and 150 people queue to vote in each of the wards during the party governorship primary.
The APC national chairman spoke to reporters at the presidential villa, Abuja, after the party’s National Working Committee meet with Ibrahim Gambari, the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari.
“He (Obaseki) is our governor. We are law-abiding. But if PDP can conduct activities across 192 wards with the same law, I don’t think our governor will discriminate against his own party. So, we are hopeful that everything will be peaceful,” Mr Oshiomhole said.
The PDP would be using indirect election for their primary, while APC adopted direct primary which Governor Obaseki kicked against.
Mr Oshiomhole explained why the APC did not accept the use of indirect primary as canvassed by the Edo governor.
“I’m sure you will agree that our President led by example when we conducted direct primary in the last presidential election.
“We still went to Eagle Square for affirmation. So, if the President did not have the right of first refusal because our constitution does not provide for it, we cannot under any circumstances now bend the rules when it comes to some people and change the rule when it comes to others,” he said.
Mr Obaseki was on Friday disqualified by the APC from contesting the party governorship primary in Edo state on grounds of alleged discrepancies on his certificates.
Mr Obaseki, on Sunday, met with Nyesom Wike and Udom Emmanuel, the PDP governors of Rivers and Akwa Ibom respectively, therefore fueling speculations that he is planning to defect from APC to PDP.
“I don’t know about (his) exit,” Mr Oshiomhole said of the speculations around the Edo governor.
“What we see from your media, electronic and print, is that he visited a number of PDP governors. We read from electronic and print that those consultations may have to do with his plan and so on. But we are not here to speculate. Our party is not a party of big men. It is governed by rules.”
