I understand that Governor Godwin Obaseki will be officially joining the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday, the 19th day of June 2020. I have also understood that the primaries of the party was initially fixed for Friday and Saturday but has been moved to Tuesday 23, 2020 ostensibly to pave way for Obaseki’s admission into the party and prepare for the primaries.
As it is now, Obaseki has dropped every insignia of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo state. His office has been stripped of every identity of APC and will be replaced with the PDP from Friday June 19. Videos of his deputy, Philip Shuaibu removing the banners of APC from his office surfaced on the social media a few days ago. Most members of his cabinet with members of the state House of Assembly and the 18 local government chairmen are defecting to the PDP.
Available reports say many people of Edo state are already converging at the PDP state secretariat to receive the governor as he bids bye – bye to APC and joins PDP. Definitely, some PDP governors may be expected at the defection ground on Friday. Some other persons may likely be around from other states to witness the official defection of the governor to the PDP.
We understand that hundreds of PDP supported had besieged the party secretariat waiting for the governor’s arrival to join the party in Edo state. Today will mark a big day for the PDP in the state. It is no longer a rumour. But it has now come up as being true. He has ended his stay in the APC and he is moving to the PDP. Although while in the APC with Oshiomhole, he must have spoken some ungodly words against the PDP, they all know that that is normal with politics. That is why no one should trust a politician in Nigeria.
The PDP had given him its terms of admission. It is believed that he has agreed with the terms hence, the formal defection he is making today. Definitely, some members of his present cabinet, if he wins, will not be in the government. This is because some members of the mainstream PDP in the state will have to be incorporated into the government, because it has become a PDP government in the state. Appointments will have to incorporate new blood who will join hands with him to pilot the affairs of the state.
We also understand that some members of the PDP had been resisting the plan of the party to make a smooth way for the governor to emerge as candidate of the party. Many of them had bought forms. I understand three had been screened before the governor fell out of favour with the APC in Abuja. This set of members and leaders needed to be placated in whatever ways he could so as to emerge seamlessly as candidate.
It is believed that if Obaseki emerges as PDP candidate, there is every assurance that he is bound to win the governorship coming up on September 19, 2020. There are so many persons who will vote for the governor in the state. Even the ruling APC members, many of them are angry with the action of the erstwhile chairman of the party at the national level, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. Most of the leaders are angry with his dictatorial actions.
Their annoyance with him can be seen from the cancellation of the screening he did while he remained chairman of the party. The sitting acting chairman had annulled the screening and called for a fresh one. That is to show that the party hierarchy is displeased with the action of the chairman. So, with the crowd of supporters from all over the state, Obaseki is set to coast to victory and continue with his second term.
