An APC Chieftain from Edo State, Tony Momoh, has said the current misunderstanding between suspended National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, and Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, is not personal.
In an interview with the Guardian, Momoh said party leaders mediated between the two politicians to ensure they buried their hatchets.
He said their difference were most likely linked to their warring followers as both individuals did not look to have personal differences from his interactions with them.
“I must tell you that there was no personal quarrel between Oshiomhole and Obaseki, even till the time we are talking now. So, how else would party men have done something?
“All that it needed was the followers to stop expressing their ambitions by looking for patronage from one area or the other.
“Even those who refused to be sworn-in, I reached out to them; I pleaded with them. They were in Abuja. I pleaded with them to get down to Benin to be sworn-in. And then they told me that they were negotiating with the governor but they wanted certain things to be settled before they go for the swearing-in.
“I told them to go and be sworn in; that they will be more effective there because, in the last Assembly, they changed Speaker about three times. I told them, ‘look, if you are there, you will be effective in the House.
“When you are outside the House, one, you will not bring any changes; two, you will not be paid or get allowances because there is nobody who is going to pay you for the work you have not done.
“You even sign attendance register because you have irreducible minimum days to attend the House sittings, about 181 days in a year.
“If you fall short of that, your seat will constitutionally be declared ‘vacant.’ And by December, they have failed to meet that minimum qualification.”
He further revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari, and an APC leader, Bisi Akande also waded into the matter, but the situation didn’t change.
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki and Adams Oshiomhole“These are the issues. How else do you expect the leaders to mediate? And I’m not the only one. The President intervened and of course, they appointed our highly respected leader, Chief Bisi Akande, to mediate. At one time, the president asked our national leader, Tinubu, to also intervene.
“So, if nothing happened, it is not because the president didn’t try or other leaders didn’t try. It was because of, maybe, the ambitions of the followers or the problems of management.
“Oshiomhole is the national chairman of the party. He has been governor. So, he does not want to be governor. Obaseki has been the governor of Edo State and he does not want to be the national chairman of the party.
“So you see, there is nothing personal in the problems we have in Edo State. And the issues can only be resolved through communication. And in my little way, I was able to restore their communication lines. I’m not aware that it broke down after my intervention.
“So, it is wrong for anybody to think that the leaders did not do anything simply because they did not hold public press conferences. What I am telling you now I have never said it publicly.”
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