The National Campaign Council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Edo State governorship election has vowed to ensure the victory of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
The council, which held a crucial meeting behind closed doors at the Government House, Rivers State, said after reviewing the development in Edo State, Governor Obaseki remained a pole ahead of other candidates.
A statement by the Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, on Wednesday quoted the council as saying that the Edo electorate were desirous of consolidating the democratic gains the various elective representatives had provided for them.
The meeting was presided over by the Chairman of the national campaign council and Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike.
Present at the meeting were Governors Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State, his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Mankinde, other members of the national campaign council, chairmen and secretaries of all the sub-committees of Edo 2020.
The statement quoted Fintiri as saying that the meeting adopted the best strategies to “retain what rightly belongs to PDP”.
Fintiri, who is also the deputy Chairman of the campaign council, said they would work with Edo people to deepen democracy.
He said, “The election is already on the table for PDP. We have a sellable candidate, who is Governor Godwin obaseki. Nigerians are moving forward with democracy and we have to deepen it together.
“Technically, Edo is a PDP state because in the last election of 2019, we actually won all the elections. So, it is not coming as a surprise that Governor Obaseki has to shift his ground from APC to join us.
“Now, we are putting all the forces together, and there is nothing that’s left behind. So Edo is completely a PDP state and we are going in there to win the election,” he said.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Publicity Committee, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, said Edo people were convinced that Obaseki was the best candidate in the governorship race.
He explained that the national campaign council gave the state campaign council all the needed support that would ensure total victory for PDP.
He said, “Those of us from Edo state are very clear in our minds that our candidate, Governor Obaseki is definitely the best candidate that can deliver and sustain the PDP ticket and also take the flag of the party to Osadebe House.
“For the South-South, it is a great challenge and honour to ensure that the six states in the zone belong to PDP. So, every support has been pledged by the leadership of the party; the governors, members of BOT, the national working committee.
“They are committed to ensuring that the flag of PDP will continue to fly in Government House”.
The statement referred to the meeting as the first gathering to formulate strategies for the election since the inauguration of the 77 member National Campaign Council by the National Working Committee of the PDP on the 7th of July, 2020 in Abuja.
