The camp of Governor Godwin Obaseki has cause to worry as the All Progressives Congress leadership has cleared strong contender Osagie Ize-Iyamu to contest Edo State primary election.
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the party on Thursday night granted him a waiver to participate at the party’s primary, a report in ‘The Nation’ indicates.
The development may be more dicey for Obaseki, who has fallen out with his predecessor and APC national Chairman, Adams Oshiuomhole.
The reason is that the NWC was said to have also okayed direct primary for the primary process.
The National Publicity Secretary (NPS) of the party, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, has confirmed the direct primary as option adopted for the party’s Edo State gubernatorial primary.
He was quoted as saying, “Yes the NWC adopted the direct primary for Edo State and we also granted wavier for a governorship aspirant.”
The paper further quoted a source at the meeting which ran into late hours of Thursday night as saying NWC granted waiver for the former Chief of Staff and Secretary to the Edo State government in view of the electoral value he will had to the fortunes of the ruling party in the state.
“Ize-Iyamu, believed to be the endorsed candidate of Comrade Adams Oshiomole, National Chairman of the party, recently decamped to the ruling party in the state. He was the gubernatorial candidate of the Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2016 Edo State gubernatorial election.
“The NWC also adopted the direct primary option for the Edo State APC governorship primary slated for June 22, 2020.
“It was gathered that NWC had resolved to adopt the option earlier used in the state for the governorship primary. This the committee further noted would give every card carrying member of the party to determine who the flagbearer is for the state governorship election.
“On Ondo State governorship primary slated for 20th July, 2020, our source at the meeting said the committee was yet to consider the Ondo State primary. “We have a month after Edo State primary before Ondo State. We only delibrated on Edo State. We shall do that of Ondo very soon,” it added.
