Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has ruled out the possibility of him returning to the APC, saying that going back to his old party would run against Buhari’s gospel of integrity.
The governor dumped the APC for the PDP following his disqualification from the party’s gubernatorial primaries.
He also said he would not attempt to replace former APC national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, as the new godfather of Edo politics.
He said: “Gleaning from the comments of Mr. President, he said that he wants to leave a democracy that is built on integrity, accountability and hard work.
”Those were his words and I subscribe totally to that. It will not show integrity, it will not demonstrate somebody that has ethical or moral foundation to do what you asked about.
“I couldn’t have contested on a party, won on that party and then consider moving to another party. It is not the kind of thing to do, it’s not the right thing to do and I am sure you will not encourage me to do that.”
Asked about the concept of godfatherism and if he would consider playing that role now that he has gained victory over his own godfather, the governor said he is opposed to the idea.
It is unconstitutional, he said.
“In the case of godfathers in our politics, I have said in several fora that the whole concept of godfatherism is very dangerous to our democracy. And that is why when we came into the political fray 2006/2007, the mantra then was to get rid of godfathers from our political life.
“The reason is simple: the godfather has no constitutional responsibility; the godfather acts outside the constitution and controls people who are constitutional players. So, if we allow that sort of situation to continue, it will be worse than military rule.
“When people who have nothing at stake, no checks and balances, just arbitrarily decide that this is the way the constitution should be interpreted or constitutional players should operate, that’s where problems come in.
“God forbid I become a godfather. I should be dealt with accordingly because it’s dangerous to the concept of democracy.”
On how he might unify Edo State, Obaseki said: “It is really unfortunate that there is so much bitterness, and I can assure you that most of it did not come from my camp, because we were not desperate. But that is neither here nor there.
“We also have to appreciate the role of the social media. Since COVID-19, the import and the impact of social media technology is at all time high.
“So, it’s not that in the past such hurtful words, hateful speeches were not used, but it was never at the level of proliferation and spread as it has had now because of social media.
“We will continue to try and heal the land. Fortunately, it doesn’t show that Edo people are divided; it shows essentially that Edo people have come together under one umbrella. That is what the election has shown.”