Ex-guber aspirant: Obaseki ensured Edo PDP primary poll not transparent

Anselm Ojezua, a former governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo, says the party’s primary election was not transparent.

On February 22, Asue Ighodalo, a businessman, was declared the winner of the primary election.

Ighodalo won the election backed by the national working committee (NWC) of the party, while Philip Shaibu, the deputy governor of Edo, was announced the winner of another primary organised by a faction of the PDP in the state.

However, Ojezua, a former chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, has approached the court to challenge the validity of the primary that produced Ighodalo as the party’s flag bearer.

Speaking in a chat with TheCable, Ojezua said he is seeking redress in court because Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo,  “played a huge role in ensuring that the primary was not transparent”.

“I am not satisfied with the outcome. From the onset, I have expressed my impression that the process was neither transparent nor was it in obedience to the rules,” Ojezua told TheCable.

“Clearly, I didn’t get any support from him (Obaseki). As a matter of fact, it appeared that it was he who ensured that the process was neither transparent nor was it in accordance with the rules.

“My anger has nothing to do with who he supports. He is entitled to support whoever he likes. But I don’t think he is entitled to manipulate the process.

“The least he could have done was to ensure that the primaries were fair. But since he couldn’t do that, I’m actually challenging the process. I’m in court.”