god-fatherism: The case of Governor Obaseki

By Martins Adedeji

The disqualification of Governor Obaseki in APC primary election is not a news to many.
In fact most people expected this to happen because the feud between the governor and his godfather who is also the national chairman of the APC has been a bitter one.
Recall that the likes of Aliko Dangote and some Governors tried to settle the feud but it seem like Oshiomole desires more than loyalty.

Loyalty is something that can never be absolute, there will always be conflicting interest. This can be likened to the Ambode-Tinubu tussle in Lagos which led to the former governor of Lagos being replaced by the party leaders for a new candidate.

Now APC has disqualified Obaseki from contesting the party’s primary election based on discrepancies in his academic qualifications but the question that comes to mind is “does that means the party didn’t notice these discrepancies in the first primary election which later made him the flag bearer of the party and eventually the Governor?

It is obvious that the issue around the Governor’s academic qualifications is a preplanned propaganda to oust the him from contesting under the flagship of the ruling party.

This is not the first time a sitting governor will be bullied by a god-father and party leaders for denying their interest. Some were able to fight the god-fathers and won but some were unfortunate. Akwa-Ibom and Lagos State can serve as examples respectively

There are speculations that Obaseki will defect to PDP and contest under the party but the Governor has not made any official statement about that yet.

His chances of wining the election under another political platform can not be commented on for now. His godfather (Oshiomole) controls the party at the federal level and can influence the election as the ruling party.

This is another political royal rumble in the history of our dear Nation and many political analysts have been arguing for and against.

One thing is sure, if Obaseki tries to give a fight back, then he should be ready for EFCC ! The APC led government have been notoriously noticed for this. He must make sure he doesn’t have any skeleton in his cupboard. He who come to equity must come with a clean hands