A former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole, and the National leader of the party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu have yet to issue a statement on the just-concluded Edo State governorship election.
This follows the declaration of Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the winner of the keenly contested election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The incumbent governor, Obaseki, polled 307,955 votes to defeat his closest rival and APC candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who got 223,619 votes. INEC also on Tuesday presented certificates of return to the re-elected governor and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, at the INEC office in Aduwawa, Benin City, the state capital.
Meanwhile, despite the APC national body conceded defeat in the election and congratulated Obaseki for winning the election, both Oshiomhole and Tinubu have yet to congratulate the governor.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday evening, Oshiomhole’s media aide, Victor Oshoke, said that his principal has no comment or reaction to make on the outcome of the election.
He said, “The result has been announced and the party in the state is consulting; the position of the party will be released very soon. Oshiomhole does not have a personal opinion to make on the election now – he is waiting for the party’s position.”
Oshoke added, “We have a candidate and we are waiting for the candidate’s statement. When the candidate speaks, Oshiomhole will align with the candidate’s decision. Edo APC is waiting for our candidate to speak.”
On his part, Tinubu’s spokesperson, Tunde Rahman, also noted that his principal would speak “at the appropriate time”.
“Asiwaju has not spoken. At the appropriate time, he will speak on that election,” Rahman responded when asked of his principal’s reaction to Saturday’s poll.
