Obaseki wants to get APC ticket with violence -Inegbeneki

By Musa Adamu

A chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo state, Francis Inegbeneki, has accused the state Governor, Godwin Obaseki, of using violence to secure the ticket of the party for the September governorship election in the state.
Speaking to journalist on the crisis rocking the party in the state, Inegbeneki said the governor failed to understand that there is need to lobby opponents, rather than use violence to intimidate people.
He denied that the national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole is instigating violence in the state to attract a state of emergency, saying that the APC chairman is not known for violence in politics.
“Of course you know the allegation is not true. How can Oshiomhole be the one sponsoring violence against himself? Does that make sense at all? To any right-thinking person, it is absurd and we wonder if they think rationally at all.
“Oshiomhole is the national chairman of the party. His dream is to ensure that the party wins election in every state of the federation. How can the same Oshiomhole be the one sponsoring violence in his own state? What does he stands to gain from that?
“Besides, Oshiomhole is in Abuja and Obaseki is in Edo as the governor of the state. Is it not the duty of the governor to ensure peace in the state?
“How can Oshiomole, who is in Abuja, be the one breeding violence when it is on record that when Oshiomhole came to Edo to receive a former PDP governorship candidate, Pastor Ize Iyamu, to the APC, the governor sent thugs after him. They set bonfires on airport road and vowed that Oshiomhole would not enter Benin.
“They took over everywhere and therefore made it difficult for Oshiomole to get to his house. We understand that people were shot and about 15 of them were hospitalised.
“Let me tell you something, Obaseki is a neophyte in politics and that is the truth. If he knows his onion, he should know by now that he cannot get anything with violence. He said Akinwunmi Ambode, the former governor of Lagos was removed because he did not fight and that Edo is not Lagos.
“What we understand he is planning is that he is instigating violence so as to instill fears in the hearts of the people so they can give him the second term ticket. If at this stage there is so much violence in the state, do you think the primary can hold?”, he said.