EDO GOV: Obaseki, 7 APC govs meet Tinubu

GOVERNOR Godwin Obaseki of Edo State was on Sunday accompanied by seven other governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to a meeting with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu over his second term ambition.

It was also gathered that apart Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, who is chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, other governors present at the meeting include Governors Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos) and Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano).

Though the details of the meeting were not disclosed it was gathered that the embattled governor of Edo State, Obaseki, who was also at the closed-door meeting, approached Tinubu to prevail on his estranged godfather, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the national chairman of the APC, to allow him to secure a second term.

Obaseki and Oshiomhole have been at loggerheads over the second term ambition of the governor leading to factionalisation of the APC in Edo. While the faction loyal to Obaseki wants indirect governorship primary, the other faction loyal to Oshiomhole is for direct primary and announced by the National Working Committee of the APC.

As it were, Obaseki and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who recently returned to the APC from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which he flew its governorship flag in 2016, have bought the APC nomination form. Last week, seven governorship aspirants stepped down for Ize-Iyamu after an intense horse-trading midwife by Oshiomhole=led party stalwarts in Abuja.

The source also said: “They met at the State House Marina, there were about eight or nine of them (governors) led by Governor Atiku Gbagudu of Kebbi State, who is the chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum. It was a closed-door meeting.

“Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State was there, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State was also there and Obaseki himself was there. That is all I know.”