Oshiomhole, Obaseki differ over primary election for candidates

The seeming cordial relationship between Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State and the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, may soon hit the rocks ahead of the coming primary election to pick candidates for the state and National Assembly elections.

While Oshiomhole has been canvassing for the adoption of direct primaries as used in the Osun State governorship primaries, Obaseki is said to be settling for consensus.

And to also apparently check threats of defection from APC, Obaseki held a meeting with leaders from Edo South Senatorial District, where he was said to have told them his preference for consensus as against direct primaries. A similar meeting was to be held in Edo Central and then Edo North but Vanguard, gathered yesterday, that the meeting for Edo North had been postponed. At the meeting, the governor was said to have explained the reasons his policies were being seen as anti-people, saying he was “saving money for the state.”

 The meeting was supposed to have been attended by 10 persons from each ward in the seven local government areas that make up Edo South Senatorial District but gate crashers were said to have been allowed into the meeting by the governor. It was gathered that some of the leaders accused the governor of being sarcastic about his description of some leaders.

 A leader of the party who spoke yesterday, on condition of anonymity on primaries, said “We were shocked when the governor said he would prefer the consensus option to direct primaries which our leaders including the national chairman, Ohiomhole has been promoting. Some of us thought that he should have first sorted that out with Oshiomhole before saying it at the general meeting. Some of us see that as confrontation.”