Barring any last minute unexpected change of plans, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki will formally dump the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and defect to the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at a high profile ceremony billed later today in Benin City, the state capital. PDP sources told Huhuonline.com that Obaseki and his deputy; Phillip Shaibu will lead a delegation of thousands of former APC supporters to join the PDP in an unprecedented show of strength to mark the swing of the political pendulum in Edo state where the PDP now controls the levers of power.
Based on the deal struck with the PDP leadership to allow Obaseki compete for the PDP’s ticket with the three other aspirants that were earlier cleared for the race, the PDP yesterday notified the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), of its intention to shift its gubernatorial primary election, earlier scheduled for Friday, June 19 and Saturday, June 20, to next Tuesday, June 23, 2020. PDP national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, confirmed the date change via his Twitter handle. He tweeted: “@OfficialPDPNig has postponed its primary election in Edo State to Tuesday, June 23, 2020.”
Ologbondiyan also told reporters that the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) was waiting for Obaseki to formally join the party by registering his membership at Ward 4 in his Oredo LGA. Also, the Edo state PDP chairman, Hon. Tony Aziegbemi, confirmed that Obaseki was being awaited in Benin from his trip to Abuja to register as a member of the PDP. The PDP South-south national vice chairman, Chief Emmanuel Ogidi, also confirmed that Obaseki will formally join the party today.
PDP sources also confided to Huhuonline.com that the party will grant Obaseki and Shaibu a waiver to enable them to contest the governorship primary on the new June 23, 2020 date against the three other aspirants; Gideon Ikhine, Kenneth Immasuagbon and Omoregie Ihama, who are expected to all step down and endorse Obaseki who would be affirmed by the delegates as the party’s flagbearer to pursue his re-election bid in the September 22, general elections.
The PDP, in a statement, elaborated more on the shift in the date for the primary saying: “The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has postponed the Edo State governorship primary election earlier scheduled for Friday, June 19 and Saturday, June 20, 2020 to a new date of Tuesday, June 23, 2020. This decision is predicated on exigencies of party activities. All governorship aspirants, critical stakeholders, party faithful and our teeming supporters, particularly in Edo state, are to take note accordingly,” the statement, signed by Ologbondiyan said.
Huhuonline.com reporters in Benin City said the Edo APC seems to be in disarray as anger seems to be rising against the suspended and embattled APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, who masterminded the series of events that led to the disqualification of Obaseki and his subsequent defection to the PDP. Edo political watchers told Huhuonline.com that Oshiomhole bite more than he could chew by doing the distance to get Obaseki disqualified, saying it amounted to political suicide because given the incumbency factor; and the fact that Edo APC is now in shambles, without any clear leader, and with Oshiomhole himself, fighting for his own political survival; it is all but obvious that Obaseki will win re-election.
“Oshiomhole should have known that pushing Obaseki out of the APC will only land him into the waiting hands of the PDP. Maybe his endgame was not to stop Obaseki from winning a second term; just that he did not want it to happen on the APC platform; so he put his ego above party interests, and that is being penny wise and pound foolish; his hand-picked replacement Ize-Iyamu is coming from the PDP empty-handed and has nothing to offer, especially now that he has been politically orphaned by the suspension of Oshiomhole. Let’s just wait and see, but sooner, rather than later, the chickens will start coming home to roost and Adams has a case to answer, why he threw away the baby with the bath water” one analyst noted.
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