A governorship aspirant on the All Progressives Congress (APC) Osagie Ize-Iyamu has teased Edo state Governor, Godwin Obaseki over his defection to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Obaseki resigned from the APC following his disqualification from the governorship primaries citing defective certificate.
On Friday afternoon, Obaseki announced that he has joined the PDP alongside his deputy Philip Shaibu and also received a waiver for the party primary election scheduled to hold on June 25.
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The Sun reports that Ize-Iyamu accused Obaseki of trying to impose himself as the ruling party candidate before he was disqualified by the National Working Committee (NWC).
He said “He (Obaseki) has now left the party, following his rightful disqualification. Many party members heaved a sigh of relief when he left and currently, we are closing ranks and unifying the party for the election”.
“Should my party elect me at the primaries on June 22, all the issues you speak of will be resolved in no time because really, they are all political. As aforementioned, we are already reaching out to everyone involved now that the bad apple has voluntarily taken itself out of the bag,” he added.
The irony of the coming election is that Ize-Iyamu contested against Obaseki in 2016 on the platform of the PDP while Obaseki ran on APC.
This time, Ize-Iyamu said he is confident of defeating Obaseki who won him with the help of Adams Oshiomhole in 2016.
“Whether in the APC or any other platform, as long as the contest will be determined by Edo people, I am confident of victory against him. If you drive around the state today and feel the pulse of the people, you will understand why I am that confident,” he said.
“The verdict is out on Obaseki’s term as governor and in summary, the people are tired of his problematic leadership, which has focused only on personal battles and needless confrontations.
“These contentions are not unusual during election campaigns and processes. Nevertheless, there is a feeling of peculiarity with that of Edo State at this time due largely to desperation of the incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki, who was determined to impose himself on the party in ways that were undemocratic before his exit.
“You saw how he attempted all kinds of tactics, including restricting membership of the party only to those who shared his view, making his wishes the law, and devoting resources into brewing confusion and chaos across all levels of the party’s leadership just to have his way.
“However, as you know, he has now left the party, following his rightful disqualification. Many party members heaved a sigh of relief when he left and currently, we are closing ranks and unifying the party for the election. Should my party elect me at the primaries on June 22, all the issues you speak of will be resolved in no time because really, they are all political.”
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