In a confusing turn of events, two candidates have emerged victorious as the 2024 Edo governorship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after parallel primaries were conducted on Thursday, 22 February, 2024.
Renowned lawyer and investment banker, Asue Ighodalo, secured a win at the delegate election of the party held at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.
In a separate development, the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Rt. Hon Philip Shaibu held a parallel primary elsewhere on the same day and was elected parallel winner in the process.
Meanwhile, in the primary election held at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Ighodalo, who is said to be Governor Obaseki’s aspirant of choice scored 577 votes to defeat Bar Anselm Ojezua, Arthur Esele, Osaro Onaiwu, Martins Uhomoibhi, Hadizat Umoru and Felix Akhabue all scoring zero, while six votes were voided out of the 585 accredited delegates.
Meantime, the deputy governor, Rt. Hon Philip Shaibu, who had earlier been declared as a factional candidate in a parallel governorship primary election, scored one vote in that election, despite emerging candidate with 300 votes at the parallel election he organized at another venue.
It was gathered that Shaibu distant himself from the election organized at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.
While declaring Ighodalo winner of the Guber primaries, the chief returning officer of the Edo PDP Primaries and the governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Dauda Lawal noted that, “The Committee having carefully sorted out and counted the votes found that Ighodalo scored 577 votes, Philip Shaibu scored 1 vote, while others got zero.”
Addressing Party faithful in his acceptance speech, Ighodalo, appreciated Governor Godwin Obaseki and the entire people of Edo State for their love and support, adding that Obaseki has laid the foundation for him to build upon if eventually voted in as governor.
He pledged to assemble young men and women for his government to revamp the state if elected at the Edo state general election billed for September.
