By Ejiro Osagie
Reports reaching us say the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki and his Secretary to Government Osarodion Ogie have concluded plans with Julius Abure, the national Chairman of the Labour Party for the party’s ticket to be ceded to a placeholder amongst the aspirants that is pro-Obaseki. This plan is believed to have received the full blessings of Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections.
According to our source,at last count, the governor has over six persons he sponsored into Labour Party as gubernatorial aspirants, whose nomination forms he has agreed to purchase for them.
Amongst these aspirants is a female medical doctor based in the UK and who is believe to have a special relationship with the governor.
Our source alleges that the reason for the Governor’s recent arrangement with Abure is not unconnected with the disagreement the Governor had with Olumide Akpata his preferred placeholder amongst the aspirants he was sponsoring because in a recent interview on Arise tv, Akpata took a swipe on the Governor by saying anyone who touches him may become leprose, because of the poor performance and “helicopter governance” style of Obaseki. This did not go down well with Governor, who blamed his Secretary to Government, Ogie for not getting a more amenable person as their preferred placeholder.
It was eventually agreed the governor’s preferred candidate Asue Ighodalo should participate in the primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party, and if he fails to get the party’s ticket, the placeholder who gets the Labour Party ticket will step down for him and the party will apply for substitution of its candidate to INEC. It was also agreed that with the recent intransigence of Akpata, Osarodion Ogie will be given the Labour Party’s ticket to run as Deputy to Ighodalo. Few days ago Pastor Azemhe Azena, one of the Labour Party aspirants resigned from the party, when he got wind from an inside source in Government House of the late night meetings Abure and the party’s State Chairman, Comrade Kelly Ogbaloi was having with Obaseki, Ogie and one Palace Chief in Obaseki’s government. Mid December 2023, Dr. Dennis Aikoriogie one of the vibrant governorship aspirants of the Labour Party had also resigned citing the same reason.
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