Obaseki announced his resignation after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The governor was disqualified by a panel set up by the party from recontesting in the governorship election.
APC’s screening committee for the Edo State governorship election, led by Professor Jonathan Ayuba, said Obaseki was unfit to contest the election after submitting the report of the screening conducted on the governor, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Dr Pius Odubu, Chris Ogiemwonyi, Osaro Obazee, and Matthew Iduoriyekemwen.
Apart from Obaseki, two other aspirants were also screened out by the APC. Ize-Iyamu and two other aspirants were, however, cleared to participate in the primaries.
Ayuba said Obaseki was disqualified on the grounds that his academic and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates were “defective”.
Reacting to his disqualification, Obaseki said he will not appeal the decision.
Obaseki, in a statement by his spokesman, Crusoe Osagie, described the screening exercise as a mockery of the democratic process.
Despite the announced reason for Obaseki’s disqualification, the party chairman Adams Oshiomhole is alleged to be behind his successor’s predicament over unresolved issues.
Affirming Obaseki’s disqualification, Oshiomhole said, “We are just following our party constitution. We have a screening committee, they turned out a report.”
Obaseki since then has turned to governors of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-South for support. He has met with Nyesom Wike, Rivers State governor and Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom, who have declared their support for the embattled governor.
Although Obaseki has not announced his next move, his recent association with governors of the opposition party suggests he might announce his defection to the PDP before the end of the week.
