Chief Osato Iredia, a retired police commissioner and a key member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, has raised concerns about Senator Adams Oshiomhole’s actions, suggesting that they are facilitating the emergence of a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) successor to Governor Godwin Obaseki.

Iredia alleges that Oshiomhole, the former governor of the state, is orchestrating behind-the-scenes efforts to ensure the victory of Asuen Ighodalo, a favored PDP aspirant, in the September 2024 governorship election. Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Iredia asserted that there exists a tacit agreement among Oshiomhole, Obaseki, and Ighodalo to take turns governing the state.

In a statement released after the press conference, the APC leader in Oredo local government area expressed his lack of surprise at the unfolding situation. He accused Oshiomhole of imposing an unpopular candidate, Dennis Idahosa from Edo South, on the party at an unjustifiable time, with the intention of presenting a weaker APC candidate against PDP’s Ighodalo, facilitating an easier victory for the latter.

Iredia contended that if Governor Obaseki had not left the APC, Ighodalo, the PDP governorship aspirant, might have been the APC’s candidate, highlighting the circumstances of Obaseki’s departure to the PDP with allies from Lagos.

He called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC leadership to disregard the declared result by Governor Hope Uzodinma, which named Hon Idahosa as the APC governorship candidate. According to Iredia, adhering to the APC primaries that produced Senator Monday Okpebholo from Edo Central is the only way for the party to secure victory in the September election. Iredia emphasized that the people of Edo State, across the three senatorial districts, support zoning, except for Oshiomhole, who allegedly encourages aspirants from all over the state to enter the race.

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