Former national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and Obaseki’s predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole, has begged Governor Godwin Obaseki and urged him to be magnanimous in victory after the supreme court judgement.
Oshiomhole said this on Monday in a congratulatory message to Obaseki following his victory at the Supreme Court.
The former Edo state governor disclosed that the rift between him and Governor Obaseki was an unfortunate incident which he has forgotten.
He, therefore, urged the governor to be fair to everyone in the state regardless of political interest or affiliations.
In his message, Oshiomhole congratulated Obaseki on his victory at the Supreme Court and revealed that the victory has effectively settled all the matters arising from the last election.
Mr Oshiomhole stressed that like he always tells Obaseki, that their relationship has gone far, more than being just friends but brothers from different parents.
“As I had repeatedly reminded you during our several meetings, our relationship has through the years developed beyond being friends to brothers of different parents,” he said.
He also told the governor to be “magnanimous in victory,” urging him to govern the state as the leader of all Edo people regardless of political leanings.
The Supreme Court has on Friday dismissed the certificate forgery suit filed against Mr Obaseki by the APC and its co-appellant for lack of merit.
Oshiomhole masterminded Obaseki’s disqualification from APC governorship primary election in June 2020, claiming there are irregularities discovered in his university certificate.
The disqualification fueled a lingering enemity between Obaseki and Oshiomhole. The former APC chairman capitalised on the certificate irregularities saga, and started using it to campaign against Obaseki, claiming he’s not qualified to govern Edo State.
This, however, drew criticisms against Oshiomhole, with some asking why he supported Obaseki during his first election when he knows he didn’t qualify to be the governor in the state.
Obaseki, after his disqualification, defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, where he was allowed to participate in the party’s primary and he eventually won the party’s gubernatorial ticket.
He went head-to-head with Oshiomhole’s candidate, Pastor Ize-Iyamu and he deservedly won the reelection.
Oshiomhole in his message added:
“Whatever happened is unfortunate, please accept the renewed assurances of my very best wishes and high regards.”
