Edo 2020: Obaseki Meets President Buhari Ahead Of Party’s Primary

The governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress in Edo State has been slated for June 22, 2020.

A source in the party has revealed that the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, due to his rift with the sitting governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki, might play a game of power in selecting the governorship candidate in the state, if President Muhammadu Buhari fails to intervene.

“The Oshiomhole camp will attempt to disqualify Obaseki at the screening level before the primaries.”

“Don’t forget what happened in Kogi were many strong aspirants who were seen as threats to Governor Yahaya Bello were screened out,” he said.

According to Daily Independent, Governor Obaseki is already in Abuja to meet President Buhari on the controversy surrounding the mode of primary to be adopted by the party.

The Anselm Ojezua led a chapter of the party has adopted the indirect primary option, which allows accredited delegates to vote, while the Oshiomhole chapter of the party has adopted the direct primary, which involves all card-carrying members of the party.

The Edo State governor while reacting to the decision of Oshiomhole, opposed the direct primary due to outbreak of Coronavirus in the state.

Obaseki who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, noted that as the popular candidate he is not afraid of any mode of primary and would defeat any aspirant who slugged it out with him for the APC ticket.

The Edo State Governor further stated that gathering together over 500,000 party members because of the primary may trigger the number of COVID-19 cases in the state that might put the lives of people at risk.

“The governor of Edo State and leader of the APC in the state, Governor God­win Obaseki, is an extreme­ly popular candidate who will defeat any aspirant that contests the party’s ticket in whatever means of primary that is used.”

“The question we should ask is, ‘Is direct primary the better alternative now in the midst of this COVID-19 pan­demic?”

“Governor Obaseki, as a responsible citizen and chief security officer of Edo State, will not take any action that will put the health and safety of the good people of the state at risk.”

“That is why we are op­posed to the idea of direct primary at this period,” Osa­gie said.