Phillip Shaibu and Godwin Obaseki Residents and lovers of the Edo State are already in preparations for the 2024 Edo State Governorship Election where the successor of Governor Godwin Obaseki would be decided. Although the election is still an open contest between the ruling party in the state, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the major opposition party in the State, All Progressives Congress (APC), from all indications the contest for the governorship ticket of the state’s ruling party, PDP, will be toughly contested than the ticket of the APC, which might be simply decided on recommendation.
To the course, four major factors will indefinitely resolve who picks the governorship ticket of PDP in Edo State as the loggerhead between the State Governor Obaseki and his Deputy, Phillip Shaibu, remains the central issue that has been rocking the party, and influence the outcome of the 2024 Governorship Election in Edo State.
In this article, we will look at the four factors that will determine who picks the PDP Governorship ticket in Edo State ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
Edo Central Senatorial District
Being the only senatorial district in Edo State that has not had the opportunity to produce a Governor of Edo State since 1999, both the electorates and PDP State Excos from the senatorial district will be a great influence on who picks the Governorship ticket of PDP in Edo State ahead of the 2024 governorship election in the state.
The senatorial district is considerably one-third of the state, and to whomever they give their support will likely be a great determinant to the possible outcome of the PDP Governorship primary ahead of the 2024 Governorship election.
The interesting part of the influence of Edo Central Senatorial District in the course of determining the Edo State PDP Governorship ticket in 2024 is that they are not in support of Governor Obaseki’s endorsed aspirant, and likewise, the governor has a great number of political appointees in the district who can share the ground for his preferred aspirant.
Atiku Abubakar
The former Vice President of Nigeria and serial presidential contestant, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is a major factor in the politics of Edo State, although he is not from the state. Being a serial presidential contestant and someone who still has the ambition to contest the 2027 Presidential election, he has been restive and periodically intervened in the national politics of the PDP across the states.
The relationship between Godwin Obaseki and Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa who was the 2023 running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar during the 2023 presidential election might be a greater cause for Atiku Abubakar to show interest in who picks the PDP Governorship ticket in Edo 2024 poll.
Definitely, any failure by Atiku Abubakar to influence who picks the 2024 PDP Guber ticket in Edo State is a clear indication that he is not focused on picking the 2027 presidential ticket of PDP.
Nyesom Wike
If there is any event taking place anywhere across the 36 states of the federation, today, with no presence of Nyesom Wike’s influence, there is no doubt the event is faulty and like if Atiku Abubakar’s influence is absent, the event is 50% near to failure.
Besides the interest of Nyesom Wike in the national politics of PDP, Wike will be keenly interested in who becomes the next governor of Edo State for two reasons; first, the state falls within his South-South geopolitical zone, and for the future of his active politics, he will surely want his person to occupy the seat. Also, the political feud between Governor Obaseki and Nyesom Wike despite the roles played by Wike before Obaseki won the Governorship ticket of PDP in Edo State following his failure to secure APC’s ticket even though he was a sitting APC governor in 2020 is an interesting factor that will call for Wike’s influence in who picks the Edo 2024 Guber ticket.
Presumably, the contest for who picks the 2024 Governorship ticket of PDP in Edo State could be a mini political contest [private] between Governor Obaseki and Wike.
Oba of Benin
Surprisingly, the peculiarity of Edo politics is that the stool of Oba of Benin plays a major role in determining who becomes the Governor of the state, and this is, in many cases, preempted by who picks the governorship tickets of the two major political parties in the state, and interestingly, PDP and APC are the two prominent political parties that could be considered viable for the 2024 Governorship contest in the state.
Benin City is a very strong kingdom that does not play with the politics of the state, and nothing different is going to be experienced ahead of the 2024 Governorship election and contest for the PDP Guber ticket in the state.
If at all the Kingdom of Benin could not present its son for the forthcoming governorship election in both APC and PDP, as it stands, it will influence how a friend of the kingdom from, probably, another senatorial district in the state will become the governorship candidate of PDP.
This may play a major role in how the kingdom will react to the political feud between its son and the incumbent Governor of the State, Godwin Obaseki, and his Deputy, Philip Shaibu.
Category: World-News
Tag: PDP Edo 2024 Governorship Elections Phillip Shaibu Godwin Obaseki
Written by Omooba Alekuwodo (omoobaalekuwodo)
Published 12/3/2023 7:33:12 PM