•Says party won’t take it for granted, admits there’s a lot to be done
Adibe Emenyonu
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, yesterday, boasted that with Osun State now in the bag of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the 2023 presidential election was the party’s to lose.
Obaseki, who noted that the PDP would not take the 2023 elections for granted, however, admitted that a lot of work still needed to be done for the party to actualise its dream.
The Edo governor, who returned to Benin City, the state capital after three weeks of annual leave, amid a rousing welcome by party supporters, was received by his deputy, and acting Governor, Mr. Philip Shaibu, alongside other government functionaries, leaders and members of the PDP.
Obaseki had upon returning to the country joined other PDP faithful in Osun State, where he featured prominently in the campaign of the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, who won the election, defeating the incumbent, Gboyega Oyetola.
Addressing the crowd, Obaseki said, “I think the PDP victory in Osun clearly shows that the election of 2023 is PDP’s to lose. We will not take it for granted. There is quite a bit of work to do; we need to go back home to talk to our brothers and sisters and improve the spread of the party’s membership.
“We are going to make sure that we come together and work together, because victory is certainly ours. If we could win in Osun State, I see us winning the 2023 elections and going to Aso Rock.”
While hailing Edo people and PDP faithful for their undying support for his administration, Obaseki noted, “I owe PDP a lot of gratitude for letting me into the party, when they did and I believe as a loyal party member, it is my responsibility to contribute my own quota to the growth and development of the party and that is exactly what we did in Osun. So, it’s not the question of how I feel, it is a question of how we must grow our party and deepen democracy and rescue this country.”
On his absence from governance during his leave, he said, “I did not miss anything, because I have a very competent acting governor, who was able to cope with the security challenges, issues of flooding and all the things that happened while I was away.”
