PDP GIVES OBASEKI HARSH CONDITIONS FOR GETTING ITS GOVERNORSHIP TICKET
…as one aspirant refuses to stepdown

Ahead of the September 19 governorship election in Edo State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has allegedly given Governor Godwin Obaseki conditions before he could be admitted into the party and subsequently get the governorship ticket.

The development comes as Obaseki was on Friday disqualified from seeking re-election on the platform of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The visit of the embattled governor today, Sunday June 14 to Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State (PDP) underscores different reports indicating that the Edo State governor is plotting to dump the APC for another political party to contest the Governorship election.

Brave Views gathered that Governor Obaseki has approached the PDP national leadership on the possibility of contesting the election on its platform.

As ways of conditions, a top PDP source revealed that Obaseki was directed to meet with the three PDP governorship aspirants – Gideon Ikhine, Ogbeide Ihama and Kenneth Imansuangbon – screened by the party’s screening committee for the primary.

Though the party had yet to release the screening result, it was gathered that one of the aspirants insisted that he would not step down for Governor Obaseki.

The source said the Edo State governor was also directed to meet with the party leadership in the state to seek their support and understanding.

They noted that there was no way the national PDP would support Obaseki without the approval of its officials in the state, including the aspirants.

“We at the national level are not interested in imposing the governor or anyone on the party in the state. He is going to be their governor and the people of the state are the voters. Our own is to campaign for him and our party,” the source said.

“The governor is not yet a member of our party. We have labored to remain relevant in the state and our popularity shows that we are going to win the forthcoming election.

“We are talking to the leaders of our party in the state. They have the final say on whether the governor should join or not. The governor had been directed to speak with the state leaders, the members of our party’s National Executive Committee in the state, members of the Board of Trustees and also members of different caucuses.

“When that is done, we can talk to him and the people. The governor will also have to meet with the aspirants who have picked our nomination and expression of interest forms and agree on modalities.

“When they agree, we will come in and iron out what to do. For now, we are watching from the sidelines”.