- Party members protest alleged illegal collection of PVCs
Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City
Ahead of the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State scheduled for Saturday, 930 delegates and members of Edo in Safe Hands led by the state Commissioner of Works, Osarodion Ogie, wednesday endorsed Godwin Obaseki as candidate of the party.
The decision which was reached yesterday at a rally, held at the Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre, Benin City was sequel to a motion moved by a member of the group, Dickson Osaretin after the entire delegates collated their signatures.
The delegates cut across the 192 wards in the state and other leaders of the group present which included the member representing Etsako Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Philip Shuaibu and members of the state executive council.
In his address, the chairman of the group, Washington Osifo, said they acknowledged the fact that all the aspirants contesting that under the APC are eminently qualified but they believe Obaseki has the best credential to continue the good works of the Governor Adams Oshiomhole-led administration.
According to him, “At a time like this, taking into cognisance the dwindling resources accruing to our dear state, we need a seasoned economist, manager, and technocrat with proven economic managerial ability coupled with the required political exposure to effectively steer the ship of our dear state, so as to sustain, improve and build on the legacies of the Oshiomhole administration.
“We appeal to other delegates to the Edo State 2016 APC governorship primaries to embrace, support and vote our adopted aspirant, Obaseki.”
However, members of the APC and delegates in the Saturday governorship primaries yesterday staged a protest in Benin City yesterday against what they described as the forceful and illegal collection of their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs)
The protesting delegate who addressed journalists under the aegis of Concerned Edo Progressives while expressing shock over the mopping up of PVCs from delegates across the three senatorial districts alleged that the PVCs were being collected on behalf of an aspirant claim to be acting on the request of the state Government.
In a protest letter signed by Okoh John and addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, National Security Adviser (NSA), the Inspector General of Police and the Director General, Department of State Services, (DSS), read in parts: “It has become necessary to bring this ugly situation to your attention because these agents that are collecting the PVCs on behalf of one of the aspirants claim to be acting on the request of Edo State government officials.
“We cannot reconcile the interest of Edo State Government in the forceful collection of PVCs with the internal democracy of APC. This situation has already created high tension among the members of APC in particular and Edo public in general.
