HE All Progressives Congress, APC, in Edo State, is running against time to settle its post-governorship primaries’ crisis, certify who its candidate is and announce a deputy to meet the March 24 deadline for the submission of names of candidates and their running mates, as directed by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Vanguard reliably gathered that President Bola Tinubu was angry with the way the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Abdulahi Ganduje, handled the governorship primaries that have created a crisis for the party.

It was gathered that the president had called for peace, urging the leader of the party in Edo State, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, to prevail on Dennis Idahosa, who is challenging the primaries in court, to drop his case.

He was also said to have advised that Oshiomhole should produce the running mate to Senator Okpebholo.

Tinubu’s intervention

A source close to happenings in Abuja said: “The president is not happy with what is happening in Edo State and he is also aware that if they are not careful, the party’s chances of winning the state back would be slim and he knows that the party needs everybody to win the state.

“He told the leadership of the party that our leader, Adams Oshiomhole should be allowed to produce the running mate and Oshiomhole has zeroed in on Idahosa as his choice.”

APC bigwigs, SWC kick

But it was gathered that some bigwigs of the party, mostly aspirants from Edo South and some members of the State Working Committee, SWC, are vehemently against the suggestion that Idahosa should be the running mate and have threatened to pull out of the party. Their intention, Vanguard gathered, is to take over the control of the party from Oshiomhole arguing that Idahosa would be loyal to Oshiomhole as deputy governor rather than the governor.

Move to draft Ogbeide-Ihama suffers setback

Meanwhile, the report of a former governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama defecting from the PDP to the APC and becoming the deputy governor may have hit a dead end as neither Tinubu nor Oshiomhole bought into the idea.

This politically strange proposal is said to be pushed by a minister in the Tinubu cabinet from one of the South-South states.

Without true reconciliation, Ogbeide-Ihama can leave PDP —Otsu

In a related development, Secretary of the Edo State PDP, Hilary Otsu, has said that Ogbeide-Ihama could leave the PDP in the absence of a true reconciliation in the party.

Reacting to the rumour of Ogbeide-Ihama defecting to the APC, Otsu said politics is based on personal and collective interest and no one can stop Ogbeide-Ihama from making his choice.

According to him, “Politics is about who gets what, when, why, how and that is based on personal or collective interest. If Ogbeide-ihama feels it politically good to become a running mate to Okpebholo, it is within his right and the party cannot stop him. It is an individual decision and if any member of the party or group decides to align with him, it is their choice.

“But you see, the reason why this is coming up if it is true, is that there seems to be no end to the disequilibrium that Governor Godwin Obaseki has instituted in the PDP. After all the stress we have been through in congresses and primaries, there were moves to find a way to align the party. Even the candidate, Asue Ighodalo, made a move in that direction.

“But if nothing is being done positively in reuniting the party with the Legacy Group and others, then you cannot blame any member of the party for any decision taken and a disunited PDP cannot win the governorship election in the state.

“It is not good for any party to lose an individual, not to talk of a two-time House of Representatives member. It is not good for the party but it is happening because there seems to be no end in sight for true reconciliation.” (Vanguard)