The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has written to the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to seek the arrest and prosecution of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole.
The Deputy Governor, Philip Shuaibu, who spoke to journalists in Abuja on Monday, said a copy of the petition would also be sent to the Director, Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi.
Shuaibu accused the national chairman of fuelling violence in the state by serially going against the state government’s order banning political rally.
He spoke with journalists after the meeting of the Progressive Governors Forum’s Committee on Good Governance in Abuja.
At the meeting, the APC governors agreed to set up a sub-committee to review the report of the Kaduna State Governor Nasiru El-Rufai-led APC committee on restructuring in order to form a policy document.
Shuaibu said, “I have sent a petition to the IG and to the Director of DSS to the effect that Comrade Adams Oshiomhole be arrested by the police and be arrested by the DSS for the breakdown of law and order that he has consistently perpetrated in Edo State.
“We banned rallies, the IG in a letter also suspended rallies. He disobeyed the orders of the state government, he disobeyed the orders of the IG and feels that he is above the law. For us, we have officially come now to drop our petition with the IG to the effect that Oshiomhole is not above the law.
“He should be arrested for violating the state government’s order. He was a governor before and he knows that nobody violated his orders as governor, because it is not about him, it is about the state.
“And that is why we are saying that the IG and the DG of DSS should arrest him and interrogate him for breaching the peace and disobeying government and security’s orders for rallies.
Shuaibu denied that Obaseki was fighting Oshiomhole to prepare for his exit from the APC to the Peoples Democratic Party.
“To where? Why are we leaving the APC? I can categorically tell you that the governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, and I are in the APC and we are not leaving the APC.”
Recall that the Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, and a member of the PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Daisy Danjuma, recently endorsed Obaseki for a second term.
Shuaibu said, “That is a sign that even other parties are accepting and agreeing to the fact that the governor of Edo State is working and he should be emulated and that is why he is having the endorsements. This is the first time the APC and non-APC people are endorsing the governor and I think it should be a pride to everybody. So, when you talk about leaving the party, it is just one of those guys trying to create a problem.”
The deputy governor also debunked insinuations that he betrayed Oshiomhole whom many have described as his godfather.
He said, “The issue of betrayal is relative. Oshiomhole remains my father and I remain his son although presently we are on different path politically and it is bound to happen.”
When contacted, Oshiomhole’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Simon Ebegbulem, declined comment.
