With the political uprising within Edo State’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party secretary is expressing his worries.
Hilary Otsu said the state will not vote for any candidate nominated by Governor Godwin Obaseki for next year’s election,regretting that Obaseki character lately lacked the goodwill required to promote an unpopular candidate in the state.
GOVIMA has reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled the Edo governorship election for September 21, 2024, and the Ondo state election for November 16, 2024.
Testing the popularity, Otsu said most of the candidates fielded by the governor during the 2023 general election were unknown, adding that the party suffered defeat.
“Legacy will nominate a governor and deputy of our choice, and the PDP will become much stronger. Trust me, most of Governor Obaseki’s closest political allies have echoed that Edo State will never accept another stranger to govern the people.
“Governor Obaseki does not have the kind of goodwill needed to promote an unknown stranger in Edo State. When Oshiomhole did it with him, Oshiomhole had optimal goodwill and acceptance. If Edo people are given a choice today, they will vote against any candidate that Governor Obaseki supports.”
Otsu added: “I stand to be corrected, but all the candidates fielded by Governor Obaseki during the 2023 general election were unpopular and most voters in their various constituencies were also aware of the illegal processes which brought them.
“So, many of the voters who followed all that transpired leading to the emergence of Obaseki’s candidates worked and voted against them and most PDP supporters opted to work against the illegal candidates by supporting other candidates.
“That’s why you see that in many places they gave support to APC candidates and in some, to Labour candidates, leading to unprecedented victories for those parties. For example, PDP has never lost Edo Central and South senatorial seats before, while a Labour candidate swept the Edo South Senate seat, after leaving PDP for Labour just a few months to the election.”
