The Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has claimed that he still enjoys the support from governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Obaseki stated this on Saturday, while speaking to reporters at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja.
Obaseki, who was screened, on Saturday, by the Peoples Democratic Party, said his sin was that some party leaders accused him of not sharing state money for private uses.
“I still thank God that I enjoy national support not just support from my colleagues from the APC. I think the support is national.
“There are elder statesmen who are apolitical, there are traditional rulers, I have people from different spectrum of the society who come around to solidarize with me and support because I think Nigerians are generally fair-minded people.
“They are people who do not accept injustice. From what I have seen over the past several weeks and months, the support is just across the board. It is not just from APC governors alone, ” Obaseki told journalists in Abuja.
He said the support from his former colleagues was based on their conviction that justice was not served him in the party.
Obaseki said he is not a divisive candidate because the party is headed towards a particular destination which is to serve the people.
He said although the approaches may differ, it does not diminish that intent and thus, he will work with all party members of the party for that common goal.
“Well, I am not a dividing candidate. I am speaking with all the aspirants. My hope and purpose for the PDP is to have a united and very strong party.
“Party primary should not be divisive because we as a party are focused on the same objective and because we are separate individuals, our approaches may be different.
“So party primary in my view should not be acrimonious and destructive. And there are common grounds, common interest and I am very very hopeful that I will get it even as there are quite a number of delegates for the exercise.”
Obaseki, who fielded questions from journalists after his screening, said he will not encounter any ideological crisis in his new party because of his movement from a progressives political party.
He said with his exposure so far as a state governor, who has interacted with all shades of thought across party line, he has not observed any marked difference between both parties.
He said he will offer good leadership to the party in Edo State towards building the state better.
“My experience is that having served four years as a governor, I don’t see that ideological divide, it doesn’t exist. I think the focus for me is development. Whether you are a conservative or progressive, it is expected that the outcome should be development. And unfortunately, I get a bit confused in the APC that at some point, I was being accused of not sharing the money.
“When we were campaigning against PDP, we said that the problem there was that they were sharing the money. So for me, it cannot be about ideology. At this point in time, it is important that I will provide strong and correct leadership, provide a direction for the country and about our people, provide the basic amenities that they need, education, health care, good infrastructure, these are the things that our people are yearning for. These are the things that we are doing in Edo state today.
“So as a progressive or as a conservative, my ideology is about the people, getting the people to enjoy the benefits of democracy.” he ended.