Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo state on Thursday emerged the governorship candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state gubernatorial election.
Obaseki emerged the party’s candidate after his closest rival to the PDP governorship election ticket Ken Imasaugbon stepped down from the race minutes into the primary election.
With Obaseki’s emergence as PDP’s candidate, the governor faces his political rival Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and other candidates for the September 19 governorship election.
I express my heartfelt gratitude to our great party, the @OfficialPDPNig, the leaders, delegates, members and all Edo people for the opportunity to fly the party’s flag in the forthcoming governorship election. God bless you all. pic.twitter.com/ao1rw5mt6k
— Godwin Obaseki (GGO) (@GovernorObaseki) June 25, 2020
In 2016, Ize-Iyamu was PDP’s candidate while Obaseki with the backing of his erstwhile political godfather Adams Oshiomhole contested under APC and won the election.
In June 2020, Obaseki left the APC after he was disqualified by the party’s screening committee for the primary election.
Obaseki accused the party of bias in the screening process and defected to the PDP days after.
Ize-Iyamu on the other hand emerged the APC governorship candidate after the party’s primary election.