Edo election: Odigie-Oyegun finally breaks silence, reveals why Obaseki defeated Ize-Iyamu

- Former APC national chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, has revealed why the party lost the Edo election

- Obaseki was on Sunday, September 20, declared the winner of the election

- Odigie-Oyegun noted that the election was not manipulated

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Barely ten days after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Governor Godwin Obaseki the winner of the Edo governorship election, a former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Odigie Oyegun, has given reasons for his party's loss at the poll.

Premium Times reports that Obaseki, who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was declared the winner by the INEC having polled 307,955 to defeat his main rival, Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the APC, who had 223,619.

Legit.ng gathered that the former national chairman of the APC attributed the loss in the contest to democracy at play, saying the people voted in line with their conscience as against impunity and imposition of a candidate at the primaries.

Odigie-Oyegun, who gave his views while addressing journalists in Benin City, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for not interfering in the electoral process.

He also lauded the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, for his timely intervention in brokering peace between the major actors and stakeholders of the APC and the PDP.

He also commended the efforts of the National Peace Committee, headed by Abdulsalami Abubakar, a former head of state.

Odigie-Oyegun said:

“They threatened visa ban, threatened seizing and seizures and the rest of them. The elite among those who were fanning problems had to sit back and reconsider so we have a beautiful, peaceful (election).

“It is democracy within the parties and impunity within the parties, attempts at imposition within the parties; these are the issues, just let things flow. I was a former national chairman, and in most cases, we didn’t have court cases after any election because things were done to the letter.

“If ten people come and say they want to contest for an office, why not. Normally, people come to me, so, they are too many, they will cause divisions within the party, they will cause this within the party, so let us talk to them, so that some will withdraw and I said why? If ten people feel each of them is capable of discharging the duties of that office, let them contest.

Odigie-Oyegun said the Edo governorship election could be compared with the June 12, 1993, presidential election, which produced Moshood Abiola as the winner, in terms of peaceful conduct.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the PDP in Ward 7, Egor local government area of Edo state, praised voters in the state for reelecting Governor Godwin Obaseki for the second term in office.

It was reported that residents of the state resisted an attempt by the opposition to financially induce them.

Edo indigenes celebrate Obaseki's victory | - on Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng