TELL Magazine

…. As Shaibu emerges factional candidate

Asue Ighodalo, a lawyer and former chairman of Sterling Bank and Nigerian Breweries Limited, who had been tipped to win the ticket of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP for the September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State, on Thursday proved bookmakers right, emerging winner of the primary election held at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City.

The delegate’s election was supervised by Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State who served as chairman and chief returning officer of the election committee, supported by his Delta State counterpart, Sheriff Oborevwori, as co-chairman, while former Senator James Manager, served as secretary.

The election was not however without drama as a faction of the party also claimed to have elected the embattled deputy governor of the state, Philip Shaibu, as the PDP flag-bearer at a separate primary election with 300 votes.

The election was a walk in the park for Ighodalo, a former captain of industry, who recorded a landslide victory over his opponents, garnering a total of 577 votes.

Though not anywhere near the venue, one vote was recorded for Shaibu, while other candidates had no votes at all.

Ten aspirants had jostled for the ticket but some of them, seeing the handwriting on the wall, pulled out of the contest before the exercise began. While former House of Representatives member, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, pulled out, alleging irregularities and corrupted process by the national working committee of the party, Omosede Igbinedion, also one-time member of the House of Representatives, said she was stepping down for Ighodalo.

Other aspirants included Arthur Esele, Anselm Ojezua, Osaro Onaiwu, Martins Uhomoibhi, Hadizat Umoru, and Felix Akhabue.

Returning Ighodalo as winner of the election, Governor Lawal, the chief returning officer, said, “the Committee, having carefully sorted out and counted the votes, found that Ighodalo scored 577 votes, Philip Shaibu scored one vote, while others got zero”. Six votes were voided out of the 585 delegates accredited.

In his acceptance speech, Ighodalo, touted ahead of the exercise to be Governor Godwin Obaseki’s preferred successor which he denied, appreciated him and the entire people of Edo State for their love and support.

Promising to assemble young men and women who would turn the state around, Ighodalo
noted that Governor Obaseki had laid the foundation for him to build upon if eventually elected governor.

According to him, “I want to thank you for making me a tool, and I promise you that I will be a useful tool, and by the grace of God, Edo State will move from where Godwin Obaseki has carried us, to the next level. I want to thank Godwin Obaseki for the wonderful work he has done in the last seven and half years. I know that in a year or two, people will keep talking about Obaseki.

“We have not seen the value of the work he has done, but he is like a builder laying the foundation for a hundred-story building. No man is perfect; we will all continue to repair and work on each other’s mistakes. I promise to assemble the best young men and women to turn the state around”.

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