Edo Decides 2020: 'I Will Not Support Obaseki'

A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member in Edo State, Kassim Afegbua, says that he would rather be honest about how he feels rather than hide and cause damages to Obaseki's campaign under the PDP umbrella.

Afegbua says that he will not be throwing his support for Obaskei, and he cites the need for democratic processes to be followed and that his non-support is not "borne out of desperation."

The PDP member disclosed this on Monday in an interview with Channels Television, Abuja.

Afegbua argued that one cannot defect to a party within 24 hours and is left to take the reins of the party. He added that he will be staying away from the PDP primary with Obaseki as the face of the party.

He said, “At least I am bold enough to come out in the open and say that I will not support Obaseki. It would have been different if I was hiding or pretending to be supporting him and doing some damages.

READ ALSO: Oshiomhole Bows Out, Says Buhari Invited Him To Reposition APC

“My position on Obaseki is not borne out of desperation, greed or money politics. My position on Obaseki is borne out of the fact that there has to be a difference in the way and manner that democracy is run in this country.

“Someone cannot just join a party within 24 hours, you surrender every whims and caprice of the party to him and then you sit back and tell me that you are celebrating your Christmas early enough in the day,” he said.

Obaseki's Journey To PDP

Godwin Obaseki had resigned his membership from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and joined the PDP where he eventually emerged the party's candidate. 

AllNews reports that the incumbent Governor, who is seeking reelection into office, was disqualified at the screening process for the primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for having a “defective certificate”.

The Chairman of the Screening Committee, Prof. Jonathan Ayuba, revealed this to newsmen on Friday in Abuja that apart from Obaseki, Chris Ogiemwonyi and Mathew Iduoriyekenwen were also disqualified from standing for the primaries.

According to Ayuba, the incumbent Governor of Edo State was disqualified on the ground of a defective Higher School Certificate, and that the document Obaseki produced only attested to his attendance and not a certificate.

He also said that members of the seven-man screening committee could not ascertain the authenticity of his National Youth Service Corps Discharge Certificate.

At the screening process, which held in Abuja on Friday, Ize Iyamu who bore the flag of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2016 gubernatorial election in Edo State was cleared alongside four other candidates.

The embattled governor has been at loggerheads with the national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole.