After days of speculation and consulting, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has formally joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The governor made the announcement on Friday at the PDP secretariat in Benin City.
The PDP also announced the defection on its Twitter handle, saying: “The Governor of Edo State, H. E. Governor Obaseki has defected to our great Party, the @OfficialPDPNig. The declaration was made this afternoon at the state Secretariat of our party in Benin city, Edo State. Power to the people.”
In the video that accompanied the tweet, Obaseki made his declaration to all Nigerians “within the state and across the country, to become a member of PDP.”
The PDP National Working Committee had reportedly considered waivers for the governor while it postponed its primary election scheduled for June 19 and 20.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbodiyan, said: “The NWC of the party has postponed the Edo State governorship primary election earlier scheduled for Friday, June 19 and Saturday, June 20, 2020, to a new date of Tuesday, June 23, 2020. This decision is predicated on the exigencies of party activities.”
Obaseki, who recently resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress, following his disqualification from its primary election, had recently met with some PDP governors and National Chairman, Uche Secondus, to perfect his defection plan.
Obaseki formalized his defection to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), when he was issued his membership card by the state chairman of the party, Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi.
The brief ceremony, which lasted for about 30 minutes, held at the party’s state secretariat located along First East Circular Road.
The Governor, who was accompanied to the venue by a mammoth crowd, described the PDP as a party that believes in justice and fairness.
“I am here this afternoon to inform you that following my resignation from the All Progressives Congress, I have now decided, having consulted very widely, within the staye and across the country, to become a member of PDP.
“The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in my view, has demonstrated and has shown that it is a party that is routed in democratic practices, the party that believes in justice and fairness.
“Today, I’m here to go through the formalities of registering as a member of this great party.
I know, I understand fully well the implications of this decision. I know that upon taking on the membership of the great party, I now automatically become the leader of the party in the state, that is the Constitution.
“I want to assure all of you that I’m prepared to provide leadership that will lead this party to victory, I’m prepared to provide the leadership that will put PDP in the office in Edo state. As the ruling party in Edo state, I will make sure that the level of progress, the level of participation in the political system by our people will be unrivaled.
“I am very happy with the reception that I’ve received since I got in here. This is the kind of energy I require to the level we should go to next. If you think we have done it in the last four years, you haven’t seen anything yet, because, with the quality of the people I’ve seen here, the quality of the people who are running this party, the energy of the youth I see, by the grace of God who makes today possible, I am committing to you that I will not only lift the party to victory on Edo state, but will now make sure that this party is an example of how states should be run in Africa.
“Today, it is with great pleasure that I have come to formally take my membership card of this great party,” Obaseki said.
Responding, the state chairman of PDP, Dr. Antony Aziegbemi, described Obaseki as the newest member of the PDP in the state.
He said: “Let me welcome the newest member of PDP in Edo state, His Excellency, Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki.
“Let me say this unequivocally, as he has rightly said, the leader of the party in Edo state is the Governor of the state, so that we are all on the same page in this.
“Your Excellency, just know, that as the leader of the party in the state, we look up to you for direction, for what you want us to do and we are ready to to follow you.”