Edo 2020: Atiku ‘Calls’ Obaseki, Tells PDP Governors What To Do

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has reportedly called the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, asking him to join his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of Edo 2020.

A report monitored on TheCable by Naija News says Atiku contacted Governor Obaseki on Friday after he was disqualified from participating in the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the September 19 governorship election in Edo state, southern Nigeria.

The report said Atiku, who was the PDP candidate in the 2019 presidential election, is also making way for “soft landing” for Governor Obaseki should he defect to the party which is the main opposition in Edo.

Although the constitution of PDP, Nigeria’s main opposition party, requires any member of the party seeking elective position under its platform to at least be registered for 18 months, it, however, gives room for a waiver.

The report quoted a source close to Atiku to have said that the former VicePresident discussed Obaseki’s likely defection with some PDP governors.

According to the report, “The Waziri (of Adamawa Emirate which Abubakar was turbaned in 2018) is wooing Obaseki on behalf of PDP. He spoke with him yesterday and encouraged him to join the PDP.

“He also spoke to some of the PDP governors and urged them to give him a soft landing and access to the party,” the source said.

Meanwhile, Naija News reports that the development is coming after the National Working Committee (NWC) of APC had on Saturday affirmed the disqualification of Godwin Obaseki the Edo state governor and two others who had earlier disqualified by the screening panel.

The three aspirants disqualified by the APC were Governor Godwin Obaseki, Chris Ogiemwonyi and Messrs Matthew Aigbuhuenze Iduoriyekemwen.