By the judgment of the Federal High Court, that invalidated the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) delegates election in Edo State, it's time for Asue Ighodalo to say 'so long, farewell' to the forthcoming election in the state, Prince Kassim Afegbua has said .Afegbua, who is the Medial Consultant to the APC Governorship Campaign Council, in a statement, titled 'Edo 2024: PDP's Fitting Poetic Justice', advised Ighodalo, the beneficiary of the invalidated exercise, to put on his thinking cap and be wise enough to 'decipher the handwriting on the wall'.

Full Text of the Statement
EDO 2024: PDP’s FITTING POETIC JUSTICE

This is a wake up call on all Edo citizens, home and abroad, to be wary of those individuals only traceable to Edo who are desperately seeking to foist themselves on the state for their selfish reasons.We had alerted the state before now that the PDP primaries that produced Asue Ighodalo was manifestly unconstitutional and grossly in discordance with the provisions of its own constitution; but because of the desperation and megalomania of Governor Godwin Obaseki, he wasn’t going to let even the law get in his way in his bid to implant his godson, Asue. Obaseki threw caution to the wind and imposed Asue Ighodalo. Now those delegates who are statutorily recognised by the constitution of the party and the Electoral Act but excluded from the exercise, have proved that they are with their salt.
The Obaseki-led primaries worked from answer to question, manipulating and doctoring the entire process to arrive at a fait accompli. They were too much in a hurry and have now been beaten at their dubious game of manipulation.

Governor Obaseki's desperation to install his godson, Asue Ighodalo, indeed heightened the political tension in the state. The length and breadth of his depravity could not be ascertained by any metric; but the latest verdict by the Federal High Court, Abuja invalidating the dubious primaries of the Peoples' Democratic Party, is a fitting poetic justice; finally the 378 validly elected delegates who were disenfranchised during the sham Obaseki so-called primaries, have been well served by the law. Democracies all over the world recognize the use of statutory delegates to nominate a party’s candidate. Bona Fide candidates do not emerge by selection or handpicking, as was done by the Obaseki-led PDP orchestra that produced Asue Ighodalo. Obaseki, being a petulant man, in his desperation, seared himself reasoning. This is his trait that has brought Edo to a near kneeling posture today. We salute the courage, thoroughness and uprightness of Justice Ekwo of the Federal High Court, who painstakingly delivered their judgment based on the exclusion of the 378 delegates. Justice has not only been served but has been seen to be served. The judgment has restored the sanctity of the nomination process and internal democracy in any electoral contest and also upheld the confidence and trust reposed in the justice system of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The PDP must know by now that there is no shortcut to Osadebe Avenue. Asue by now knows that Obaseki is his problem not his advantage. He is caught in a catch-22 situation. If the PDP desires to govern the state in good faith, they ought to realise from day one that the people and the delegates truly matter. Imposition of candidates is the hallmark of electoral emperors who think everything is about money and influence.
Governor Obaseki has not only become dictatorial and undemocratic, his depravity and desperation have destroyed the very foundation of a healthy political contest which Edo state is known for, sweeping away a few erstwhile good men with him.

By today’s judgment, Asue Ighodalo, one of the cowboys from Lagos, should be able to decipher the handwriting on the wall. It’s time for him to say so-long, farewell!!! Democracy is not a flash in the pan affair; it is an all-inclusive exercise that provides all voters and candidates the opportunity of a level playing field. We must stress now that the court has proved that in a democracy, the people, no matter how lowly, must be allowed to have a say in who governs them. Today’s judgement, even in the eyes of the least discerning, is apropos. That is the irreducible minimum that healthy political contestation offers.

In the APC, we have assured the people of our determination to offer a people-driven and all-inclusive administration when Senator Monday Okpebholo aka Akpakomiza assumes the reins of government. He will not only restore the hope of the common man, he will lead with the fear of God and relate with our people solicitously. This election offers the people a unique opportunity to chase away those economic predators and buccaneers who have held the state hostage in their shared determination to destroy our common patrimony. The APC and Senator Monday Okpebholo are the ONLY ingenious candidates for the election. We rely largely on the people to chart a new roadmap to recover Edo state from its present octopoidal grip of the Obaseki-led administration. We remain resolute in our commitment to achieve our objectives to relaunch the state on a solid pedestal. Edo will surely rise again.
God bless you all. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Prince Kassim Afegbua is Media Consultant, 2024 APC Campaign Council

3rd July 2024