Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo North, has said the All Progressive Congress (APC), will take advantage of the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Edo State, in the forthcoming gubernatorial election.
Oshiomhole, a former governor of the state, said this in Abuja on Friday, after he led Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the APC, and Dennis Idahosa, his running mate, to meet with President Bola Tinubu at the State House.
Oshiomhole said the crisis within the ruling PDP in the state is an advantage for the APC to win the forthcoming election.
He denied allegations that the APC orchestrated the crisis that led to the invalidation of the PDP governorship primary.
The former governor said the crisis is an internal affair of the PDP, which he said the APC has no hand in.
On Thursday, the Federal High Court in Abuja nullified the primary election that certified Asue Ighodalo as the PDP governorship flagbearer.
“I think you should dismiss that because this is PDP versus PDP, and you know that by law, another party cannot go into intra-party conflicts in court. So if it is convenient for them to explain that, you can dismiss it without asking me”, he said.
“The fact that there had been division in Edo before their primaries and after their primaries is an open secret, and the issues in dispute are also very open.
“The PDP legacy group complained that the man they gave their master bedroom to has completely chased them out of the building, and now they’re under the rain, and as we speak, they are still trying to settle.
“Those who couldn’t find accommodation, we picked them one by one, and don’t forget that those on Osadebe Avenue were my own creation in the sense that I supported Obeseki to become governor, and so I have people who still have affection for me.
“Edo people won’t forget in the hurry what I did when I was governor and those of them who didn’t quite readily appreciate it now compare the past with the present.
“So if they have disputes or disagreements that they cannot settle and they choose to settle them in court, the court will nullify the process.
“I mean, you read the judgment, not me. How can anybody say… if you know Dan Orbih, the leader of Legacy Group, he was my fierce critic when I was in government, so what power do I have? How can we, as a non-state group, have the power to influence a seasoned politician to move against themselves?
“So this is purely PDP intra-party, and I think the lesson is very clear, namely that parties must be encouraged to obey the laws that regulate the conduct of primaries and that rules are meant to be obeyed if you formulate your constitution.
“It is the basis of the contract between party members. Now, the Electoral Act is meant to ensure that everybody plays the game within the rules, so we have nothing to do.”
Oshiomhole told State House correspondents that he led the APC candidates to the president to update him on the campaign activities.
“He is the leader of the party, so we went to give him an update on the campaigns, on what we are doing, and on the fact that we are harvesting more and more people every day,” he said.
