Edo 2020: Obaseki’s defection will not affect APC’s victory – Official

A media aide of Adams Oshiomhole, the suspended national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Victor Oshioke, has said the defection of Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, from the ruling party will not affect the party’s ‘victory’ in the upcoming election.

Mr Oshioke, who spoke on Channels Television “Politics Today” programme on Friday, said Mr Obaseki is not popular in the state.

“There is no way Godwin Obaseki can upset APC in Edo State because he doesn’t have the numbers,” he said. “He is unpopular in Edo State, they know, and that is why today he is there and I can tell you something, where are the APC bigwigs you saw behind him? There was nobody, Just some little PDP riffraff.”

Mr Oshioke also noted that Mr Obaseki had left the party “long before his official defection.”

“I believe that Godwin Obaseki’s defection is an anti-climax. He has since moved from APC, he has only been working against APC. I think it’s just good riddance to bad rubbish. Godwin Obaseki has since left APC and this is what we have been saying for months. He had been negotiating with PDP.

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“Everything was set, he (Obaseki) was only there trying to destroy APC and today that he has gone, APC in Edo State in united and victory is ahead,” he added.

“There was nobody of value with Obaseki there today. Even the Speaker of the Edo State house of assembly has abandoned him already,” the official also said.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Obaseki officially left APC on Friday after months of political conflict with his predecessor, Mr Oshiomhole.

He was welcomed by the PDP chairman, Uche Secondus and other parity chieftains like Bukola Saraki, Atiku Abubakar. He has also been granted a waiver to contest the party’s governorship ticket.