Edo Election: Obaseki says immoral to dump PDP for APC

Governor Godwin Obaseki says he has no intention of dumping the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Obaseki won a first term in office in 2016 as an APC candidate but he dumped the party for the PDP in June 2020 after he was disqualified from running for a second term.

As a PDP candidate, he won the September 19 governorship election for a second term in office, beating the APC's candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, and 12 other candidates.

While speaking on his victory during an interview on Arise TV on Tuesday, September 22, the 63-year-old said he has no immediate plans of returning to the APC.

He said, "I won the election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, a party which I'm a member now.

"I think it would be immoral and unfair to begin to even have any other consideration at this point about leaving the platform that gave me the mandate.

"There must be morals in politics. At this point in time, I do not think that it's a proper thing to do to jettison the party that brought you to power.

"That issue doesn't arise at this present time."

The governor also said that there isn't much of a difference between both the APC and the PDP in terms of ideology and membership, noting that it's still early days in the nation's democracy for important distinctions to appear.

APC candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu (left), and former Edo governor, Adams Oshiomhole (right), have refused to concede the September 19 election to Obaseki [Twitter/@PastorIzeIyamu] Pulse Nigeria

Even though his forced exit out of the APC was masterminded by his predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole, Obaseki said on Tuesday there would be no problems between them if the former governor behaves himself.

"If he continues to be destructive, then we will not have any mercy.

"It's totally up to him," he said.

He said it's hard for him to reconcile with the former APC national chairman because he poses a big danger to democracy by trying to impose himself as an 'extra-constitutional player'.