Appeals Committee, NWC Affirm Obaseki’s, Ogiemwonyi’s Disqualification
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) last night accepted the report of the party’s Appeals Committee which affirmed the disqualification of Governor Godwin Obaseki and Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi from the APC Edo State governorship primary slated for June 22.
The NWC also expelled a governorship aspirant, Hon.Mathew Iduorikemwen and the state vice chairman of the party, Kenneth Asekomeh, for taking the party to court.
National chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, told reporters at the end of a meeting of the NWC that the body deliberated and reviewed the reports of the screening and appeals committees on the aspirants for the governorship race.
Oshiomole said the NWC was satisfied that all members of the screening committee were “unanimous in their decision and, also significantly, members of the appeal committee were unanimous in their decision.”
“The appeal committee listened to the person who appealed before it and also reviewed the petition before them and they have reviewed everything and they arrived at the same conclusion,” he said.
The chairman commended the appeals committee for enriching the report of the screening committee, adding that “the NWC unanimously approved the reports of the two committees.”
The party chairman also disclosed that the NWC cleared three persons to contest the primary in Edo State. They are Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Dr. Pius Odubu and Hon. Obazee.
Presenting details of the appeals committee’s report to Oshiohole earlier in the day, the chairman of the appeals committee, Dr. Abubakar Fari, said only Ogiemwonyi appealed the decision of the screening committee.
He said the appeal committee also reviewed the grounds upon which Obaseki and Iduoriyekemwen were disqualified.
Fari said that the committee found that the disqualification of the three aspirants by the screening committee was justified.
Citing ‘discrepancies in the dates’ on Obaseki’s University of Ibadan certificates, he said: “It is inconceivable that the same university would award two certificates with separate dates for the same graduate.
“We also find it difficult to vouch for the authenticity of his NYSC certificate. There is no indication as to where he served.”
On Ogiemwonyi’s disqualification, the appeal panel said the name on all the certificates he presented were in contradiction with one another.
