Obaseki’s defection not news to us, says APC

The Ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), says the defection of Governor Godwin Obaseki to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday didn’t come as a surprise.

The embattled governor had earlier on Friday announced his membership of the PDP after many days of suspense and political meetings.

Obaseki was received by the leadership of the party, led by the State Chairman, HON Tony Aziegbemi, on Friday.

He arrived the State Secretariat of the PDP in Benin, the Edo State capital, with many of his followers and appointees, where he declared his intention in a short speech.

But reacting to the defection, National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu said: He said: “It has not come to us as a surprise. We knew he had defected long ago because he resigned his membership of the party which we have accepted.

“So you can’t defect twice. So if he is defecting again, we don’t know whether what he has just done now is news any longer.

Obaseki resigned from the APC after its screening committee disqualified him from the June 22 governorship primary.

The NWC last Saturday affirmed his disqualification by the screening and appeal committees inaugurated by his political adversary Adams Oshiomhole.