“…Having reaffirmed our commitment to free and fair elections, it is our expectation that all opposition parties in the country will also commit themselves to free and fair contests. We will therefore accordingly expect congratulatory messages from all parties just as we similarly guarantee that once we are defeated in a fair contest, we will congratulate the winner.”
High wire political intrigues by some chieftains of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, with regards to who picks its presidential ticket in 2023 may have contributed greatly to its dismal outing in last Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State, Vanguard has learned.
Party leaders yesterday lamented APC’s loss of its only foothold in the South-South, with Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State saying that three weeks to the poll, the party was primed to win but the unexpected happened on Saturday.
A member of the Board of Trustees of the APC, Prince Benjamin Apugo, attributed the party’s loss to internal wranglings.
A chieftain of the party, Jackson Lekan Ojo, fingered what he called the overbearing influence of former APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the Edo fiasco in which Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP polled 307,955 votes to beat Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the APC, who got 223,619 votes.
A member of APC Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee, Ismail Ahmed, who blamed APC governors, said the party would do a review to know exactly what happened in Edo.
Meanwhile, torrents of salutations continued to pour in for Obaseki, yesterday, with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and former Senate President, David Mark, urging the governor to be magnanimous in victory to douse tension and continue to keep Edo on the path of growth.
APC congratulates Obaseki, says election not warfare
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has congratulated Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State on his re-election as governor of the state, last Saturday.
Chairman, Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee of the party and Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, in a statement issued in Damaturu, described the election as a victory for democracy.
The statement which was titled: ‘State Governorship Election: Victory for Democracy’ reads; “September 19, 2020, Edo State Governorship election is over, the winner has been declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in the person of Mr. Obaseki, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. We hereby congratulate the winner of the election, the people of Edo State and all Nigerians. The peaceful conduct of the election and its outcome represent a victory for Nigeria’s democracy.
“As a party, we join our leader, President Muhammadu Buhari to affirm our ‘commitment to free and fair elections’ in order to strengthen ‘the foundation for our political and moral authority’. We commend INEC, our security agencies, and all political parties that contested the election for the successful conduct of the election. As a governing party, we will take every step necessary to support the Federal Government to consolidate all the gains achieved.
“We, in particular, want to salute our candidate in the election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu for his tenacity and leadership. We similarly commend our Edo State leaders, especially our immediate past National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and all our members in Edo State for demonstrating unwavering support for our party and our candidate in the election.
“In the face of all the challenges, we collectively remained faithful and worked tirelessly during the campaigns. We appeal to all our members to be strengthened by the outcome of the election and unite in order to correct all the problems that worked against our party and our candidate in the just concluded election.
“Finally, we specially hereby celebrate our Edo State 2020 Governorship Campaign Council led by His Excellency Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Governor of Kano State. We acknowledge and appreciate the contributions of all members of the Campaign Council. As progressives and democrats, we are confident that all leaders and members of the party will celebrate the outcome of the election as free and fair as acknowledge by our leader, President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Let us unite to move our democracy forward. We must put an end to the era when the electoral contests become warfare. We urge our candidate and all our members to join us in congratulating Mr. Godwin Obaseki and the PDP, being the declared winner of the election. Our attention must now shift to Ondo State and ensure that we win the October 10, 2020 election. September 19, 2020,
“Edo election should present a new watershed. We will work hard to win the Ondo election. Having reaffirmed our commitment to free and fair elections, it is our expectation that all opposition parties in the country will also commit themselves to free and fair contests. We will therefore accordingly expect congratulatory messages from all parties just as we similarly guarantee that once we are defeated in a fair contest, we will congratulate the winner.”
VANGUARD
