A major blow has been dealt the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, as thousands of party members in one of the state’s largest communities, Urhonigbe, in Orhionmwon Local Government Area (LGA) at the weekend, switched allegiance to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The leaders and members of the APC in Urhonigbe South, ward 8, dumped the party, endorsing the second term aspiration of the state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Rt. Hon. Comr. Philip Shaibu.
Leader of the APC, Dr. Mrs. Nosakhare Aladeselu, and the President of Face2Face Campaign for Obaseki, Mr. Etinosa Odiase, who led the decamping APC members, said it became necessary to follow Governor Obaseki to the PDP owing to the fact that they want to continually be part of the governors’ achievements.
According to Aladeselu: “We cannot leave Obaseki with what he has done for us as a community; just look at our rubber estate, he has revived it within his first three years in office. Commercial activities are gradually coming back to Urhonigbe; there is work for our teaming youth; no space for idleness anymore.”
Also, Odiase said he decided to lead thousands of his supporters to the PDP to support the governor because of his developmental agenda for the larger Edo people against the few individuals who continue to strive for personal benefits rather than the good of the larger majority of the people.
“You can see what good governance can do for people. I have led thousands of my supporters to join the governor in the PDP. We are not fighting for stomach infrastructure but the dividends of democracy that will lead to a better Edo State; anywhere Obaseki goes, we will go”, he added.
Earlier, the LGA party chairman, Prince Stanley Iduose, while presenting the umbrella to the decamping APC members, welcomed them to the new party, urging them not to relent in their quest for good governance.
Other decamping members include a former member of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon. Barr. Friday Ogierhiakhi, and a former Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) commissioner, among others.
