Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Ahead of the September 19 governorship election in Edo State, the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Governors’ Forum, has admonished the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to ensure that the poll is free and fair.
The PDP Governors Forum, in a statement, by its Director General, CID Maduabum, on Friday, charged Nigerians and the civil society to be vigilant, so as to ensure that votes count in the Edo gubernatorial contest.
The opposition governors, while congratulating Obaseki for clinching the PDP gubernatorial ticket, noted that his emergence as the flagbearer of the party is a testament to his leadership skills.
“This victory should be a humbling one as it has been achieved on the backdrop of a grave injustice done to him by his former political party, the APC, and a demonstration of the role of God in the affairs of men. It is indeed a call to continue faithfully serving the good people of Edo State.
“This victory is even more remarkable as His Excellency joined the PDP just a few weeks ago, and it is a testament to his leadership skills that he successfully got all other aspirants who started the race before him in PDP to step down for him and join him in salvaging the state without rancour or bitterness.
“We hope that he will continue to deploy this management skill in uniting the PDP and Edo people in the great task of enthroning good governance and accountability in Edo State.
“He should ensure that there are truly no victors or vanquished in this struggle for the soul of Edo State.” Similarly, the minority leader, House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, has urged the people of Edo State to rally round Governor Godwin Obaseki in the September 19 governorship poll.
Elumelu, in a statement, on Friday, urged the people to use the opportunity of the forthcoming governorship poll to free the state from the shackles of greedy godfathers, which they have allegedly witnessed under the All Progressives Congress (APC). The minority leader, while congratulating Obaseki for his emergence as the PDP governorship candidate, assured him of total support in his reelection bid. He commended all the other PDP governorship aspirants, members and leaders of the party in the state for “exhibiting high level of maturity, transparency, understanding, sacrifice and adherence to rules to make Governor Obaseki’s emergence smooth and rancor free”.
“As a democrat and development- oriented leader, Governor Obaseki found himself among strange bed-fellows in the All Progressives Congress (APC) where he was constantly resisting the greed and impunity of power-mongering political godfathers, which came at a huge cost to governance in Edo state.
“It is therefore heartwarming that Governor Obaseki is now in the home where he rightly belong, and which is devoid of chaos and comedy of errors in the APC which took a toll on governance in Edo state.
“There is no doubt now that in a party like the PDP, better days lies ahead for Edo state in Governor Obaseki’s second term as the sanity and peace he would enjoy in the PDP would engender the right atmosphere for good governance for the benefit of the people of Edo state,” Elumelu stated.
