During the weekend, former Deputy Governor of Edo State and a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) top shot, Lucky Imasuen led thousands of his supporters to decamp to the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) in the state capital Benin city.

Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole was on hand to receive Lucky Imasuen and the other decampees and thanked them for their decision to join APC, assuring that they would be granted equal opportunities as founding members of the party.

However, it has emerged that the governor’s decision to welcome Lucky Imasuen to the APC did not go down well with a number of top shots in the ruling party.

A source told News Express that a group of top Edo State APC members led by a member of the House of Representatives Phillip Shuaibu are not comfortable with having Imasuen (who was a major critic of Oshiomhole’s government in his PDP days) so close to the top echelon of the party.

“Hon Shuaibu was incensed that the governor would allow Imasuen close to him. He reminded the governor of the antecedents of Imasuen as a virulent APC critic and warned that he could be a major stumbling block rather than an asset for the APC in Edo State.”

The governor, it was said, pleaded with his party men to forgive Imasuen and adopt the spirit of embracing all persons, regardless of their past misdeeds, as far as they were committed to work for the APC as next year's governorship polls in Edo State draws near.

It is still not clear whether the APC chieftains have been convinced to trust Imasuen.

Speaking during the official announcement of his decamping to the APC, Mr. Imasuen said it was no longer news that the PDP had fallen apart.

“Many people have asked me, ‘why do you want to join the comrade governor?’ If you wrestle with somebody for so long and you are not able to defeat the person, won’t you join the person? I passed Airport Road, my mother is at Ogida market, I attended Agbado Primary School; Adolo College is in my neighbourhood, I pass Akpakpava road every day and I see the work the governor has done there.

“Have you been to Edo central and Edo North? My message to my few brothers and sisters left in the PDP; this train will not miss us. The first one is taking off today at the Kings Square and I am joining it with my friends and brothers and I appeal to you that in the next few months the remaining ones that are viable will be joining this train to help build a formidable APC that the Comrade Governor has built.

“We are going to take part in the glory of the governor. Everything he has done has been done by all of us. We are not coming to cause any confusion; we will attend our ward meeting where it is taking place and we accept the governor as our leader,” he said.

•Photo courtesy of itvradionigeria.com shows former Edo Deputy Governor Lucky Imasuen speaking during the defection rally . . . last Saturday in Benin City.

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