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Tag: Obaseki

  • NYSC issues new certificate to Obaseki

    NYSC issues new certificate to Obaseki

    The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has issued a new certificate to Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki.

    The new certificate was issued following an official request by him.

    The governor served his father’s land in 1980 but it turned out there was an error on the certificate issued to him.

    His surname was written as Obasek instead of Obaseki and this was one of the reasons cited for his disqualification by the All Progressives Congress (APC) panel which screened aspirants for the Edo 2020 primary.

    The decision of the APC, however, led to his defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The coast is now cleared for him to seek his re-election after other PDP aspirants running against him stepped down.

    Kenneth Imasuagbon, one of those who stepped aside for the governor, said he was inspired by Obaseki’s performance as the leader of Edo State.

    He said Obaseki has been a “victim of godfatherism” and will help the Edo leader fight anyone who wants to “enslave” the people of the state.

    However, the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appointed the Governor of Rivers State, H. E. Nyesom Wike, as the Chairman for Obaseki’s election campaign council on Friday.

    Adamawa State Governor, Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Fintiri was appointed as Deputy Chairman of the council.

    The election is scheduled for September 19, 2020.

  • Edo 2020: INEC displays nomination forms of Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu, others

    Edo 2020: INEC displays nomination forms of Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu, others

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday in Edo State displayed the forms of the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Godwin Obaseki, and those of 13 others at its annex office, located at the former state secretariat of the PDP on Sapele Road in Benin.

    On INEC’s notice board at the annex office, Obaseki filled West African School Leaving Certificate, 1973 and Bachelor of Arts (B.A. Hons.), 1979, as his qualifications. He did not present his Higher School Certificate (HSC).

    The governorship candidate of the PDP will slug it out on September 19 with the standard-bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, and others in what is popularly referred to as a rematch, to elect a new governor from November 12.

    Ize-Iyamu has LLB from the University of Benin.

    In 2016, Ize-Iyamu was the governorship candidate of the PDP, while Obaseki was the standard-bearer of the APC.

    He had the backing of the then Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who later became the National Chairman of the governing party, before last week’s dissolution of the National Working Committee (NWC) by APC’s National Executive Committee (NEC), headed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The other governorship candidates are Obhafuoso Paul, Action Alliance (AA); Akhigbe Ehiabhi, African Democratic Congress (ADC); Ibio Emmanuel, African Democratic Party (ADP); Lucky Idehen, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA); Igbineweka Osamuede, Allied Peoples Movement (APM); Amos Areloegbe, All Peoples Party (APP); and Osifo Isaiah, Labour Party (LP).

    Others are Agolebun Tracy, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP); Stevie Ozono, National Rescue Movement (NRM); Felix Obayangbon, Social Democratic Party (SDP); Jones Osagiobare, Young Progressive Party (YPP); and Akhalamhe Amiemenoghena, Zenith abour Party (ZLP).

  • BREAKING: Court strikes out certificate forgery suit against Obaseki

    The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday struck out a suit seeking the disqualification of Governor Godwin Obaseki from contesting the forthcoming governorship election in the state for allegedly forging his university certificate.

    The suit was filed on May 29, 2020, by Edobor Williams, Ugesia Godwin and Amedu Anakhu, ahead of the governorship election scheduled to hold in Edo State on September 19.

    Joined as respondents in the suit were the governors’ party, the All Progressives Congress, the Inspector-General of Police and Obaseki himself.

    But Justice Anwuli Chikere struck out the suit on Monday as neither the plaintiffs’ lawyers nor the defendants’ were present in court.

    The plaintiffs alleged in the suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/553/2020, that the University of Ibadan certificate which he attached to his Form CF.001 which he submitted to INEC for his first term election in 2016 was forged.

    They argued that the governor’s educational information contained in Part C of the Form CF 001 which he submitted to INEC on July 12, 2016 and the first degree certificate of Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies, said to have been obtained from the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, was forged.

  • BREAKING: Court strikes out certificate forgery suit against Obaseki

    BREAKING: Court strikes out certificate forgery suit against Obaseki

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a suit filed against the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki.

    The plaintiffs, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/553/2020 accused the Governor of engaging in certificate forgery.

    Listed as plaintiffs in the suit are Edobor Williams, Ugbesia Abudu Godwin and Amedu Dauda Anakhu.

    They accused Obaseki of forging his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) certificate in Classical Studies from the University of Ibadan.

    The plaintiffs contended that the alleged certificate forgery contravenes section 182(1)(i) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

    They prayed the court to among others, hold that Obaseki is “not qualified to run or seek election to the office of the governor of Edo State” in the forthcoming 2020 governorship election.

    At the mention of the case on Monday, neither the plaintiffs nor their lawyers were in court. The defendant too was not represented.

    In view of the development, Justice Anwuli Chiekere proceeded to strike out the suit.

  • I regret not joining PDP before now – Obaseki

    Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has said he regretted not joining the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) long before he did.

     

    Regretting his about 13- year sojourn in the All Progressives Congress (APC), the governor said he had come to realize the PDP stood for the values he so much valued and lived for.

     

    Obaseki spoke on Saturday at the Abuja secretariat of the PDP being presented with certificate of return as the party’s flag bearer for the September 19 Edo governorship election.

    The governor, who spoke for himself and his deputy, Philip Shuiabu, said unlike the APC that pushed them out in the rain and storm at their hours of tribulation, the PDP cared so much for its members.

     

    Obaseki said: “It was only when we entered the house (PDP) that we realized that this was the house we should have been in the first instance.

     

    “Because we now saw that the values in the house are the values we cherish and the values we lived for; values of justice, values of law and order, values of care for our people, putting the people first.

     

    “These are the values we have always been in pursuit of, which we found in this new house in which we have been graciously accommodated.

     

    “My deputy and I are very grateful to this great party. Like I said, you will never know what God has destined for you. In our hours of tribulation, when we were pushed out in the rains and storm from our political party, you came out with that huge umbrella to give us cover and shelter”.

     

    “I must thank members of the National Working Committee for the quality of governance, the quality of response that I have witnessed. That has enabled us achieve much in less than one week because of the responsiveness of the National Organising Secretary.

     

    “They followed up on every issue and every document. When issues came up, the National Legal Adviser was there to respond to all our inquiries. The National Publicity Secretary checked on us every day”.

     

    The Governor told the PDP leaders the people of Edo state had guaranteed him that they would always follow him to whichever political he chose to belong.

     

    According to him, his decision to join the PDP was a product of wide consultations with Edo people and assured the party leaders of massive votes and victory for the PDP in the September election.

     

    Thanking the party leaders for allowing him to run with his deputy, Obaseki pledged to uphold the ideals of the PDP at all times and to submit to the directives of the leadership.

     

    “I want to commit to you that we shall promote the ideals of this great party and you can always count on us. Whenever the National Working Committee calls on us, we will be there.

     

    “We have no choice because from what I have seen from my brother governors in this party, what they have done and what they did for us in the party, revived my political career, I have never seen that level of commitment”, he said.

     

    While presenting the governor with the certificate of return, the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, assured Obaseki of inclusiveness, equity, justice and fairness at all times.

     

    According to him Obaseki’s emergence as the party’s flag bearer followed due process, stressing that the PDP had learnt enough lessons from its past mistakes to not embrace impunity.

     

    “We have learnt from our mistakes and we have reformed so we have come with open arms to embrace everybody. We are not a sectional party, we will not be there and some parts of the country will be crying. Nigeria belongs to all us.

     

    “Today, we have taken an important step to ensure that Edo people believe in us. They believe in us and they will vote for PDP. So from Edo, we will move to Ondo and gradually to all parts of the country.

     

    “Everybody believed that for the governor to join the PDP was a miracle and we are going to have a miracle governor who will win elections for us because you can see clearly the hand of God on this governor and his deputy”, Secondus said.

     

    Addressing Governor Obaseki, the PDP chairman said, “Your Excellency, in PDP we are guided by the rule of law, we are guided by our rules and we are guided by the people’s interest.

     

    “We are driven by the fact that we must provide the best governance for our people. Since you came in, you can see that we are guided by process.

     

    “In PDP, the institution here has a system that is transparent, free and fair for all to see and you have witnessed it since the last few weeks. God has been our guide here, we are a people, a party that fear God and we put the interest of our people first not our personal interests”.

     

    While submitting his report, the chairman of the electoral panel that conducted the Edo primaries, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state, said from what he witnessed in Edo, the state will be won by the PDP.

     

    He said: “Edo is ready for capture. To be won by this very important party, the PDP. I am very sure and confidently that Edo is going to fall in line within the realm of good governance of the PDP”.

     

     

     

     

  • Photo News: Obaseki receives Certificate of Return

    Governor Godwin Obaseki has received his Certificate of Return from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The certificate was issued on Saturday by the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

    This was confirmed on the party’s Twitter handle.

     

    Secondus also presented the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) nomination form to the governor.

    Obaseki is now fully set to battle APC’s candidate, Ize-Iyamu in the September 19 governorship election in Edo State.

  • [TNG Analysis] Edo 2020: Obaseki Vs Ize-Iyamu, who wears the crown?

    [TNG Analysis] Edo 2020: Obaseki Vs Ize-Iyamu, who wears the crown?

    By Emman Ovuakporie

    The uproar and confusion that surrounded the emergence of Governor Godwin Obaseki as the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the scheduled guber election for September in Edo State is enough for him to defeat Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu if politics were mathematical.

    But no politics is not based on mere mathematics because surprises are part and parcel of politics.

    After a long battle with his godfather, Adams Oshiomhole, Obaseki finally pitched tent with the PDP to contest the Edo guber polls.

    Oshiomhole ensured he was disqualified from partaking in APC’s guber primary.

    The confusion eventually swallowed Oshiomhole who was suspended by the APC and eventually sacked as its chairman on Thursday.
    On the other hand, Ize-Iyamu had to contend with many legal battles to finally get the APC ticket.

    The issue of not been a member of the party was one court issue and this was surmounted and his election ratified by APC as the authentic candidate of the party.

    All said and done but the question on the lips of Edolites is who going to occupy Denis Osadebey Government House for the next four years.

    In the three senatorial districts of the State both contestants have a commanding presence.

    Ize-Iyamu is a full time politician while until 2016 Obaseki was a technocrat who helped then governor Oshiomhole to manage the coffers of the state.

    As at today, Obaseki has tasted the bitter pills of politics and is now a full blown politician with long horns.

    A PEEP AT THIER STANDINGS IN THE THREE SENATORIAL DISTRICTS

    Edo Central Senatorial District:

    Edo Central is the most marginalised district in the State. For eight years Oshiomhole left them in the wilderness without any remarkable appointment both at the Federal or State level.

    It has the least voters population in the state but the people are very vibrant and had constantly supported the PDP.
    They paid dearly for this and Esan people remained unrepentant as they continued to vote for PDP.

    Obaseki is said to have promised the Essn nation that he would handover to the Edo Central after his second term.

    This promise is enough to ginger them to massively vote for Obaseki hoping that he won’t behave like other regular politicians.

    Ize-Iyamu too is popular in the senatorial district but can’t take the risk of making such a promise but a vigorous campaign can turn the table in his favor.

    But the pastor has to do a lot of footwork to make a remarkable impact in Esan land.

    Edo North Senatorial District:

    This is the domain of Ize-Iyamu’s godfather the great Oshiomhole.

    Under normal circumstances this District ought to be the footstool of Ize-Iyamu but no, Obaseki’s deputy, Comrade Phillip Shaibu is also from the zone and he will match Oshiomhole and Ize-Iyamu fire for fire.

    Edo South Senatorial District:

    This zone of the state has the highest voters population capable of turning the tables at any given election in the state

    This zone is the real battle ground that will determine the outcome of the guber election in the state.

    Coincidentally, both contestants are from this zone that is a major determinant of the election results.

    Obaseki heavily relying on the incumbency factor may just coast to victory and return to Denis Osadebey Government House.

    But as it was stated here earlier, politics is not mathematics that you can readily get a calculated answer.

    Ize-Iyamu is said to have a well greased executive in all the wards of Edo South because he had gone through the terrain while contesting as a PDP candidate against Obaseki.

    The exco is still very much alive and this could be a dangerous signal to the Obaseki camp.

    Both contestants may have to assert enough energy on this zone of the state to win the guber election.

    In this zone, Obaseki has an edge because of the massive support he enjoys from the critical stakeholders in the PDP.

    Ize-Iyamu has a good followership too in the determining zone of the state because of his grassroots

  • Edo guber: PDP confirms Obaseki as consensus candidate

    Edo guber: PDP confirms Obaseki as consensus candidate

    Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Edo State, Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi, has confirmed that three of the four aspirants of the party have stepped down for Governor Godwin Obaseki.

    This is even as prominent members of the party have thrown their weight behind the re-election of Obaseki, in the 19 September gubernatorial election.

    Aziegbemi, who gave this indication on Thursday evening at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, venue of the party’s primary election, added that “Governor [Obaseki] is now the consensus governorship candidate of the party.”

    The aspirants are Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, Engr. Gideon Ikhine and Barr. Kenneth Imasuagbon.

    Imasuagbon, who had earlier insisted the primary election must go on as scheduled, reportedly embraced peace only a few hours to the commencement of the primaries.

    Aziegbemi, however, said the most important thing was that aspirants stepped down and that it did not matter when they stepped down.

    “It is doesn’t matter whether aspirants stepped down, two weeks ago, yesterday, this morning, afternoon or not.

    “But what I just told you is that all the aspirants have stepped down. We now have the governor, the only aspirant,” Aziegbemi said.

    The Edo PDP Chairman, however, said delegates of the party from the 192 wards in the state must still participate in the voting process, to satisfy the requirements of country’s electoral act.

    “What we are going to do here now is that in accordance with the electoral act there must be a voting process again. With the act, we must still go to the voting process.”

    Speaking on the likely outcome of the governorship election, a former member of the House of Representatives, Omosede Igbinedion, said she “believe that the people of Edo will return Governor Godwin Obaseki for a second term.

    “Edo people will come out en-mass and vote for Obaseki, the people are strongly behind him.

    “I am sure that 90 per cent of Edo people will vote him in the September 19 governorship election.”

    Also speaking, Mr. Mike Oghiadome, a former a Chief of Staff to former President Goodluck Jonathan, said that the coming of Governor Obaseki would further strengthen the PDP.

    “Before now, the PDP has two Senatorial seats and the All Progressives Congress (APC) has only one. This is an indication that the PDP is even stronger now with Obaseki,” he said.

    On her part, the chairman of Etsako East local government area, Mrs. Ebuehi Benedicta, noted that Obaseki’s popularity among the people would win him a second term.

    “No doubt that PDP will return him, he is loved by the people, he has worked for us as Edo people.”

  • BREAKING: APC right to grant Ize-Iyamu waiver, Court rules

    BREAKING: APC right to grant Ize-Iyamu waiver, Court rules

    The All Progressives Congress(APC) did no wrong in granting its Edo Governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, waiver to contest its primary, Edo High Court has ruled.

    The presiding judge of Edo High Court 6, Benin, Justice Emmanuel Ahamioje, dismissed the suit for lacking merit and he described the matter as an internal affair of APC.

    He affirmed Ize-Iyamu as a duly registered member of APC in his ward, saying he was qualified for the waiver.

    The suit was filed by a factional Deputy Chairman of Edo APC, Kenneth Asekomhe, who was expelled for anti-party activities by NWC of the party and three stalwarts of APC Benjamin Oghumu, Mathew Ogbebor and Unweni Nosa.

    They are all loyalists of Governor Godwin Obaseki.

    Defendants in the suit APC; its suspended National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and Ize-Iyamu insisted the court had no jurisdiction to meddle in the internal affairs of the party, in line with the Constitution of APC.

    The presiding judge earlier refused to grant the exparte application by the allies of Obaseki, seeking to restrain APC from recognising the 2016 governorship candidate of the PDP (Ize-Iyamu), who defected to the party in December last year, as an aspirant on APC’s platform.

    Details shortly…

  • PDP primary: Obaseki to be elected unopposed as only opponent steps down

    PDP primary: Obaseki to be elected unopposed as only opponent steps down

    Mr. Kenneth Imasuagbon, the only Peoples Democratic Party governorship aspirant vying for the ticket of the party with Governor Godwin Obaseki in Thursday’s primary has announced his withdrawal from the race.

    Though, Imasuagbon has stepped down from the contest where 2,229 delegates will choose the PDP gubernatorial flagbearer, voting will still go on for affirmation of Obaseki’s candidacy.

    All is set for voting to begin at the Ogbemudia Stadium Benin City.

    Details later..