As all aspirants of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) gather in Abuja today ahead of the screening at the party’s headquarters in Wadata Plaza, a heated incident occurred in the waiting room as the screening got underway.
Aspirants under the platform of the party, forced Mr. Asue Ighodalo, a candidate allegedly sponsored by Governor Godwin Obaseki out for being rude to the Deputy Governor.
While all the aspirants were waiting, Mr. Ighodalo was alleged to have made derogatory remarks about the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Rt Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu. Other aspirants quickly called him out, reminding him that he was insulting the office of the Deputy Governor and not Comrade Philip Shaibu. Despite their intervention, Mr Ighodalo insisted on making the remarks, prompting the Deputy Governor to walk him out of the meeting. In solidarity, all the other aspirants agreed that Mr. Ighodalo left the waiting room due to his disrespectful behavior towards the Deputy Governor’s office. Following this command, Mr Ighodalo stormed out.
In a related development, a mild drama unfolded in Abuja as all the aspirants and their supporters united in opposition to the party granting Mr Asue Ighodalo a waiver. The protesters argued that Mr Ighodalo had never voted in Edo State and therefore should not be allowed to run for election under the PDP banner.
The protest escalated, leading to the intervention of riot policemen who were called in to suppress the demonstration. The supporters of the aspirants warned that if Mr Ighodalo were forced upon the party in the state, it would be met with resistance and potentially spell disaster for the party’s standing in the region.
It is worth noting that the party’s national working committee had reportedly granted Mr. Ighodalo a waiver, a decision that many party members perceive as a clandestine effort to impose a candidate who recently joined the party and has neither voted nor actively contributed to its growth and sustenance in the state.
As tensions rise and protests persist, the future of Mr Asue Ighodalo’s candidacy remains uncertain, and the PDP faces the challenge of maintaining unity and trust within its ranks.
