Obaseki, Makinde disagree over ward congress, outcome
EDO State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, and his counterpart in Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, have disagreed over the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) ward congress in Edo.
While Makinde withdrew from the exercise, Obaseki yesterday, said the crisis in the state chapter of the PDP is being over- hyped, noting that it would not affect the outcome of the governorship election.
Obaseki said while speaking to journalists in his Ward 4 Collation Centre, Idia College, during the PDP ward congress held across the 192 wards of the state to elect delegates that will participate in the February 22 governorship primary.
The governor, who expressed optimism that the party is more united and would go into the elections stronger, said that the crisis in the party was being overhyped.
“You can see from the crowd here that it is a lot of success. You can see the huge turnout. We had over 600 people coming out to participate here; our people are very politically aware. We are happy with this turnout to elect delegates for our gubernatorial primary, and we are also expecting this huge turnout in the main election.”
On the resignation of Governor Seyi Makinde, Obaseki said: “It is unfortunate that Makinde withdrew. There are three governors, and he is only one of them; so, withdrawing does not remove the credibility of the process. What makes a process credible is the quality of participation, and you can see for yourself. So, it is unfortunate that Makinde had to take such a decision, but I hope all our efforts to unify the party and pacify all players will continue.
Meanwhile, there were pockets of protest in some quarters by nine aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) just as the Chairman of the three- man committee, Makinde, stepped down. It could not be ascertained the reason for Makinde’s resignation from the exercise.
The Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, who is said to be the Deputy Chairman, was present in the state to conduct the primary where he commended the large turnout of members of the party. Mbah, who, with members of the Committee, monitored the exercise in parts of Edo, expressed satisfaction with the process, adding that reports from other parts of the state were equally satisfactory.