Former Edo State governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) leader, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, has denied allegations that the APC orchestrated the crisis surrounding the invalidation of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary in Edo State.
Speaking to journalists at the State House in Abuja on Friday, Oshiomhole characterized the situation as an internal PDP conflict, stating, “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.”
The denial came in the wake of a Federal High Court ruling that declared the PDP’s primary election, which produced Mr. Asuen Ighodalo as the party’s governorship candidate, invalid.
The court cited the disenfranchisement of authentic party delegates as the reason for its decision.
Oshiomhole emphasized the legal impossibility of APC involvement, explaining, “By the law, another party cannot go into intra-party conflicts in court.”
He further highlighted the pre-existing divisions within the Edo PDP, referring to conflicts between the party’s current leadership and the “Legacy Group.”
The APC leader also took the opportunity to tout his party’s growing strength in Edo, claiming that many PDP members are defecting to the APC.
He said; “I think you should dismiss that because this is PDP versus PDP and you know that by the 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.
“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 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 in that 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 now compared the past with the present. So if they have disputes or disagreement which they couldnt settle and they choose to settle it in the court and the court nullify the process…
