Edo: How APC stole PDP mandate in 2016 – Tony Kabaka confesses 

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, Comrade Tony Kabaka, has confessed that the APC stole the mandate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) through manipulation of the governorship election in 2016. Tony Kabaka, making the revelation, warned APC leaders in Edo State not to make the mistakes of 2016 if the party does not want to lose the 2020 governorship election in the state. Kabaka declared that the PDP candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who they stole the mandate from in 2016 has joined the APC, advocating that the party leaders should give the governorship ticket to Ize-Iyamu for the September governorship election in Edo State. Kabaka declared that “Ize-Iyamu has come to the APC to recover his mandate stolen in 2016.”

He warned APC leaders that when they joined forces in 2016 to fight Ize-Iyamu, it was difficult for them to defeat him until they resorted to manipulation of the electoral processes, escaping narrowly.

Tony Kabaka recalled that they started a group, Edo Progressives Movement (EPM), within the APC when the party was at the brink of disintegration, to forestall the death of APC in Edo State. He blamed APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, who he said is the cause of the problems they are having in Edo APC today. He decried that Oshiomhole infiltrated the EPM through which he brought a candidate for the APC in the 2016 governorship election. He lamented that the candidate, becoming governor, neglected party members, forgetting that time will come when he will need them.

Tony Kabaka is one of the victims of the political conflagration between Governor Godwin Obaseki and the APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole. Kabaka’s hotel in Benin City was demolished by the governor under the guise of reclaiming the environment in Edo State. Kabaka has not been in the governor’s clique for long; and perhaps, was classified as Oshiomhole’s loyalist.

Tony Kabaka in a video broadcast circulated in the social media explained that was not formed for governorship election but a caucus of the APC to save the party from extinction in the state.

Kabaka cautioned: “Primary election is secondary; what we need to emphasize is the general election. If we don’t have a credible candidate; we will lose out; you people (referring to party leaders) need to stand well.”

He decried: “… a lot of us were struggling in EPM for us not to scatter. Then, they tagged the former Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, with us.

“Adams Oshiomhole was the one that caused the problem we are facing now by bringing somebody that will neglect everybody in the party. What happened in the presidential election never happened in Edo State; it happened because the person on board neglected that election, you know the votes APC got.”

Kabaka, therefore, declared: “If we don’t want to lose in the 2020 governorship election, I call on Oshiomhole, all state and federal APC lawmakers, and APC leaders in Edo State, they should wake up from slumber. We are tired of crisis.

“Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu should be the APC governorship candidate.  Pastor Ize-Iyamu was difficult to defeat when we joined forces against him if not for the abadacabra we did.

“APC members have suffered enough. We robbed Ize-Iyamu of the mandate and gave it to Godwin Obaseki. Ize-Iyamu has come to take his mandate.

“When we fought Ize-Iyamu, it was narrow escape. We begged Obaseki not to neglect party members because time will come when he will need them. “

Tony Kabaka narrated that EPM was not formed for governorship election. “It was organized because our members were neglected and were defecting. EPM is APC caucus. For us not to lose out, we have to organize ourselves. “EPM was not talking of governor; it was organized so that party members will not defect, they were neglected,” he stated.

In the party campaigns leading to the September 2016 governorship election in Edo State, the PDP candidate,  Ize-Iyamu, had rising popularity and profile that perhaps, intimidated the APC, leading to the then Governor Oshiomhole simulating security crisis in the state to influence the postponement of the governorship election on the premise of security crisis.

In the September 28, 2016, governorship election result, INEC declared that APC candidate had 319,483 votes to defeat other 18 candidates, while PDP was allocated 253,173 votes. The total Registered voters were 1,900,233, while 622,039 voters were accredited for the election.

The revelation of Tony Kabaka covertly indicts the INEC; it would appear that INEC compromises elections and collaborate in manipulation of elections.