Edo guber: Confusion as PDP produces two candidates in parallel primaries
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Thursday elected two candidates to fly its ticket for the September 21, 2024 governorship election in Edo State.
Salient Times reports that the two candidates are Philip Shaibu, the incumbent deputy governor of the state and Asue Ighodalo.
The two candidates emerged in a parallel governorship primaries that took place in Benin City.
Shaibu was declared winner with 300 votes while Ighodalo in another primary that was held at the Samuel Ogbemudia won with 577 votes.
The governorship primary committee, led by Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, said a total of 594 delegates were elected to participate in the primary, while 585 delegates were accredited to vote.
Announcing the final votes, Lawal, the Chief Returning Officer for the governorship primary as well as the chairman of the committee primary, said Asue Ighodalo scored 577 votes, while his closest rival Philip Shaibu scored one vote.
He said Anselm Ojezua, Osaro Onaiwu, Felix Akhabue, Martins Uhomoibhi,, Hadizat Umoru, Arthur Esele scored zero votes, while Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama and Omosede Igbinedion withdrew from the race.
He said six votes were voided.
In his acceptance speech, the nominated governorship candidate of the party, Ighodalo, promised to take Edo State beyond where Governor Godwin Obaseki would stop.
Ighodalo also promised to bring on board both the young and old to develop the state, if eventually elected governor of the state in the September 21 governorship election.
While noting that no man is God, he, however, called on other aspirants, members of the party and all Edo State people to rally around him to emerge as the governor of the state.
Ighodalo, who said no man is perfect, noted that he will work on other people’s mistakes tirelessly for the betterment of the state
