The battle is set for the September 10, 2016, governorship election in Edo State as the two leading political parties; the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have successfully elected their candidates for the battle royale.
In the APC primary election held last Saturday in Benin City, Godwin Obaseki, widely acknowledged as the anointed candidate of Governor Adams Oshiomhole, emerged winner to become the party’s flag bearer.
Reports indicate that the APC primary election was highly manipulated and heavily monetized by the Governor. It was said that this will go down in record as the most expensive delegate election in Nigeria. history. The poll manipulation was said to be possible from the three accreditation centres controlled by Oshiomhole’s loyalists.
An eye witness account was said to have revealed that Governor Oshiomhole allegedly shared about N600,000 to each of the 2,873 delegates, amounting to N1.7 billion. Oshiomhole is being accused abandoning his slogan of one-man-one-vote, becoming immersed in moneybag politics and godfatherism.
It was gathered that at the early stage of the primary, temper rose at the venue of the accreditation centres when some agents of the other governorship aspirants discovered that those about to vote from some of the local governments were not the same as those that where accredited. The situation was, however, put under control when security personnel intervened into the near rancorous pandemonium at the Dr. Sam Ogbemudia Stadium, venue for the election.
On the other divide, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu emerged winner of the governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which heldon Monday at the Lawn Tennis Court of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City.
The result as announced by the election committee indicated that Ize-Iyamu polled 584 votes to defeat his closest rival, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, who polled 91 votes. The third candidate, Solomon Edebiri, scored 38 votes. A total of 740 delegates were approved for the vote.
Ize-Iyamu and the PDP will battle Obaseki and APC in the September 10 governorship election for the soul of Edo State.