Ahead of next year’s governorship election in Edo State, Governor Godwin Obaseki has provided clarifications to where he stands on the choice of the flagbearer for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He declared that he has no preferred candidate among those aspiring to succeed him as his tenure comes to an end.
According to the governor, only the party has the power to decide who becomes its flagbearer at the gubernatorial election.
Obaseki spoke on Thursday in Bauchi after a closed-door meeting with Governor Bala Mohammed, who doubles as the chairman of the PDP governors forum.
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He was accompanied by the former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Gabriel Emmanuel.
However, details of the closed-door meeting are still sketchy as of the time of writing this report.
While addressing journalists after the meeting held at the Rahmat House, an extension of the Bauchi Government House on Thursday, Obaseki also cleared the air on his relationship with his deputy, Philip Shaibu, who has declared interest in succeeding him.
He said their relationship is cordial.
Africa Today News, New York reports that until this time, there have been several insinuations in some quarters that the governor is not backing his deputy’s ambition to succeed him.
Obaseki said: ‘My relationship with Shaibu is cordial. He wants to run for the office I currently occupy and I think, as a Nigerian, he has the constitutional right to run; nobody can stop him.’
He added: “But only the PDP and our members can decide who will become the flagbearer of the party at the gubernatorial election. I’m only one of the millions of party members in Edo State. I don’t think my vote alone will determine who becomes the party’s flagbearer.”