Following the emergence on Sunday of Mr. Godwin Obaseki as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the September 10 governorship election in Edo State, the state chapter of the party has begun moves to reconcile all aggrieved aspirants and political groups.
The run-up to the governorship primaries was charged amid allegations of permanent voters’ cards (PVCs) mop-up, bribery of delegates and perceived preferential treatment for one of the aspirants, who ended up clinching the APC ticket, defeating 11 other aspirants in the process.
Those who participated in the primary included the state Deputy Governor, Dr. Pius Odubu; a former governor, Prof. Oserhiemen Osunbor, and a former Minister of State for Works, Chris Ogiemwonyi.
Others are Maj. Gen. Charles Airhiavbere (retd.), Kenneth Imasuagbon, Peter Esele, Blessing Agbomere, Emmanuel Arigbe-Osula, Prof. Ebegue Amadasun, Austin Emuan and the only female aspirant, Tina Agbarha.
Obaseki, who is the Chairman of the Edo State Economic and Strategy Team, polled a total of 1,618 votes to record a landslide victory over the other contestants.
His closest rival was incumbent Deputy Governor Odubu, who came a distant second with 471 votes.
Imasuagbon and Ogiemwonyi had 247 and 137 to settle for third and fourth places, respectively.
It was observed that some aspirants including Odubu, stormed out of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, venue of the primary before the results were announced early hours of Sunday by the Chairman of the APC Primary Committee and Governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Bello Masari.
Reacting to the fall out of the primary election, the Edo APC, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Godwin Erhahon, on Sunday, pledged to reunite all rival groups that went into the primary to ensure victory for the party in the forthcoming governorship election.
It said: “We appeal to all aggrieved persons to forgive all pre-primary offences and cooperate as members of one family to mobilise voters for the APC in the forthcoming governorship election.
“The APC and its government in Edo State will strive to heal all wounds and pains, physical and emotional; that may have been sustained or felt during the battle for various aspirants towards the primaries”.
“They should, therefore, humble themselves and appease those they may have offended as Obaseki is now the candidate of the party, no longer for any group”, the statement added.
