Anyone who entered the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium Benin-City, last Thursday, for the rally of Edo State All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of yesterday’s local government elections, will know that the party, under the leadership of the immediate past governor of the state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, is not taking anything for granted.
The stadium was filled to capacity by party members across the 18 local government areas of Edo. The success of the event did not come as a surprise following the painstaking efforts made by the Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie (aka Field Marshal), to ensure a successful outing. It is believed in the politics of the state that whatever the former governorship candidate of the PDP, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, can fix politically, Ogie will unfix. Ogie and the Chief of Staff to the governor, Taiwo Akerele, were said to have temporarily relocated to the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, two days before the event, to get things right.
The event witnessed the defection of estimated 10,000 members of the PDP into the APC. The defection, according to analysts, was a big blow to the PDP particularly with the exit of a former National Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Mr Felix Akhabue, who is a top figure of the opposition party in the state.
They were received into the party by the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie Oyegun.
In his opening remarks, the state chairman of the APC, Barr. Anslem Ojezua, explained, “I have told the remaining members of the PDP that since their leaders have abandoned them on the high seas, we are ready to accommodate them. We are receiving over 10, 000 PDP members today and, by 2019, there will be no PDP anymore in Edo”.
Also speaking, Oyegun told the defectors, ¨APC is not a lazy party or party for cowards. I congratulate Obaseki for his silent works in the state and Comrade Oshiomhole for laying the foundation for the development that we are enjoying today. APC is a party passionate about the destiny of our nation and we are going to move this nation forward come 2019 and beyond. This is just a local government elections rally and look at the crowd here. I wonder what we are going to see by February next year. By next year we are going to deliver another APC President and governors. Let me assure all of you, the APC is a party that welcomes people and a party that is passionate about the pressing needs of the people. And we will continue to deliver the promises made by the party to Nigerians”.Read more.
