Edo APC chairman says he regrets that Obaseki won on PDP ticket

The chairman of the Edo state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Aselm Ojezua has explained why the defeat suffered by the party in the just concluded governorship election in the state can be partly blamed on Adams Oshiomhole and the national organ of the party.

Ojezua made the statement when reacting to the victory of Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election.

According to Daily Trust, the state APC chairman said he received the news of Obaseki win with mixed feelings.

He stated that he was saddened by the fact that Obaseki didn’t win the election on the platform of the APC.

The politician suggested that the governor could have won the election on the platform of the APC if Adams Oshiomhole did not push him out of the party by unwholesome disqualification from the party.

He said the Edo APC had already reached a consensus to support Obaseki as the candidate of the party before he was disqualified from contesting on the party’s platform.

“As at the time I did make a statement that our most treasured asset is the governor. That statement has been vindicated by the victory the governor has secured,” Ojezua said.

The state chairman also stated that the national organ of the APC championed the Osagie Ize-Iyamu campaign without the state chapter of the party.

“They treated the party with contempt and unfortunately the national organ of the party cooperated with them in this negligence believing that they could secure victory without the platform. So, we were just there looking at them. I think we are all wiser now,” he said.

Meanwhile, the former governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha, has spoken on the internal crisis rocking the ruling APC, following the party’s defeat in the Edo governorship election.

Okorocha, a senator representing Imo West senatorial district, said there is no more APC, saying that is left of the ruling party is the respect for President Muhammadu Buhari.

The former governor who is an APC founding member attributed the crisis rocking the party to the alleged relegation of the founding leaders to the background.