Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, yesterday presented his All Progressives Congress governorship nomination form to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Commenting on the feud between him and the National Chairman of his party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, in an interaction with State House Correspondents, Obaseki said he was ready to make peace with his predecessor in the interest of development of the state.
He was quoted saying, “It is unfortunate that he is taking the position he has taken; I believe that he was not properly guided. I am his governor and it is my responsibility to seek peace for my state and with all my citizens. I will continue to strive for peace, I will continue to pursue peace, seek the interest of our people and I am open, that we should talk about how to move things forward.
“The relationship is still frosty, but I am doing all I can to try and make it warm just for the sake of Edo people. I am committed to whatever it will take to have peace and not to lose lives in Edo, within the law, whatever I can do that is constitutional, I will do,” the governor affirmed.
Obaseki, however, added that he had the full support of his colleague of governors elected on the platform of the APC, in line with the principles of the party, which always supports continuity.
Asked why he was confident of winning the election, the governor said: “Well, I believe having been governor of the state for three years and the jury is out, you can check with Edo people, whether as governor I have served creditably well. The consensus is that we have done well as a government and that people will like us to continue with the laudable programmes and policies which we have undertaken under the last three years.
“If you recall when I got into power as a governor, one thing Edo was known for was human trafficking. We had over 30,000 of our citizens, who were in Libya, waiting to cross over to Europe. Today, in less than three years, we have stopped it.
“We are celebrated globally, across the continent in terms of the reforms we have undertaken in basic education in this country”.