Headlines
Obaseki, Oshiomhole feud: The Abba Kyari, Tinubu connection
BY KAZIE UKO
The supremacy battle for the control of Edo State between Governor Godwin Obaseki and the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, may be unsettling the spirit of Mallam Abba Kyari, late former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari.
An authoritative source within Edo State politics told RELIABLESOURCENG.COM that Kyari had been instrumental in saving Oshiomhole from being kicked out of office as national chairman of APC, when the party’s governors, under the aegis of Progressive Governors Forum, aligned with their colleague, Obaseki, against Oshiomhole as the battle for the soul of Edo State raged.
Our source revealed that it was Kyari who helped broker the peace that saw Oshiomhole retaining his office after the latter agreed that APC in Edo will give Obaseki the “right of first refusal” to aspire for the governorship a second term.
But from recent developments, with the disqualification of Obaseki by the APC screening committee and upholding of the same decision by the party’s appeals committee, coupled with the death of Mallam Kyari recently, from COVID-19, it is obvious that the Abuja Accord has been trampled upon.
According to our source, the proxy war Oshiomhole is fighting in Edo State, using the APC party machinery is a strategic one.
Said he: “Oshiomhole is fighting a battle of his political life. You should understand that if Oshiomhole loses the control of Edo State to Obaseki that will mean the end of his political relevance in the scheme of things in Nigerian politics. You know as they say, politics is local, and Edo is Oshiomhole’s political base.”
But Oshiomhole’s survival is just an aspect of the war of attrition going on in Edo State as our source declared that the bigger picture has to do with the control of the party machinery at the national level and the “life ambition” of APC’s national leader Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to be Nigeria’s president in 2023.
“Tinubu wants to be president in 2023 and I’m sure you know about that. Adams Oshiomhole as party national chairman is believed to be key to Tinubu becoming the APC flag bearer for the office of the president in 2023. So, the survival of Oshiomhole is important to him (Tinubu). In any case, he was instrumental to Adams becoming the APC national chairman and it’s all for the same purpose. You can say the Edo debacle is like testing the waters toward 2023,” our source analysed.
READ: Appealing my disqualification by APC futile – Obaseki
However, our source revealed that the underlining facts of the intractable battle between Oshiomhole and Obaseki were not lost on the powers that be in Abuja and indeed critical stakeholders in APC, especially from the north. This informed the reason why of all the aspirants to the governorship of Edo State, Obaseki had been the only one acknowledged by Abuja, with his visit to President Buhari, shortly before the APC committee screening.
According to our source, the presidency and other party influencers from the north would rather not have a strong party national chairman that Oshiomhole is turning himself into. The north would prefer a national chairman in the mould of Second Republic national chairman of NPN, Adisa Akinloye, who was perceived as weak and amenable to the interest of the north.
“Obaseki is confident of regaining his ticket. Abuja is interested in him, just wait and see what is going to happen in the coming days,” our source said with air of certainty.
Asked about the idea of Obaseki jumping ship from APC to the rival main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), our source declared that it was not likely as it may further complicate matters for him.
He added, however, that Obaseki has become sufficiently popular by virtue of his achievements in his first term to walk away from APC and that PDP may be the “last resort” if all doors in APC were shut against him.