The Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State, Hilary Otsu, has said that any candidate anointed by Governor Godwin Obaseki would not win the 2024 governorship election in the state.
Speaking with The Nation on Wednesday, Mr Otsu said that Mr Obaseki lacked the goodwill required to promote a candidate in the state.
According to him, most of the candidates fielded by the governor during the 2023 general election were unknown, and as such the party suffered defeat.
He said: “Legacy will nominate a governor and deputy of our choice, and PDP will become much stronger. Trust me, most of Gov. Obaseki’s closest political allies have echoed it that Edo state will never accept another stranger to govern its people.
“Gov. Obaseki does not have the kind of goodwill needed to promote an unknown stranger in Edo State. When Oshiomole did it with him, Oshiomole had optimal goodwill and acceptance.
“If Edo people are given a choice today, they will vote against any candidate that Gov. Obaseki supports,” he said.
“I stand to be corrected, but all the candidates fielded by Gov. Obaseki during the 2023 general elections were unpopular, and most voters in their various constituencies were also aware of the illegal processes which brought them.
“So, many of the voters who followed all that transpired leading the emergence of Obaseki’s candidates worked and voted against them and most PDP supporters opted to work against the illegal candidates by supporting other candidates.
“That’s why you see that in many places they gave support to APC candidates and in some, to Labour candidates, leading to unprecedented victories for those Parties.
“For example PDP has never lost Edo Central and South Senatorial seats before, while a Labour candidate swept the Edo South Senate seat, after leaving PDP for Labour just a few months to the election,” the party scribe added.
