Asue Ighodalo, the party’s candidate for governor of Edo State, will have Osarodion Ogie, the secretary to the state government now in office, as his running partner.
Governor Godwin Obaseki, who is thought to be supporting Ighodalo, appointed Ogie.
A senior PDP official, who verified Ogie’s selection to newsmen on Tuesday, stated that the SSG was thought to offer the party a chance to win the state’s governorship on September 21.
He claimed that the SSG, a devoted party member and grassroots organizer, was chosen after extensive consultation by the party.
“I can confirm to you that Ogie is Ighodalo’s running mate. He has filed the form in Abuja and he has the capacity to boost the party’s chances of winning the election.
“He is a grassroots mobiliser and he will bring his several years of experience in politics to bear. The party consulted widely and he was chosen to be the running mate,” the party chieftain said.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba said, “Yes, we now have a running mate, that is the deputy governorship candidate to the PDP Edo State governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo. He is the current Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie.
“And we are confident of victory with our candidate, Asue Ighodalo, and his running mate, Osarodion Ogie. Our deputy governorship candidate will be officially unveil at a later date.”
The former chairman of Sterling Bank, Ighodalo, became the PDP’s candidate for Edo governor last month.
As for the Edo State Reconciliation Committee, it is said that it is still without a meeting with Obaseki, the deputy governor of Edo State, aspirants, and other disgruntled party members.
The committee is chaired by the governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed.
When Shaibu announced his candidacy as a rival for governor during the governorship primary, the party was thrown into disarray.
Thus, in order to address any grievances prior to the September 21 Edo State governorship election, the PDP designated the governor of Bauchi State, as the Chairman of an 11-member committee and Emmanuel Enoidem, a senior advocate of Nigeria, as the secretary.
According to a source, who is also a committee member who spoke to PUNCH reporters on Tuesday, the committee has not yet met in person with the party members who are upset in Edo.
The source, who requested anonymity, stated, “I am aware they have been contacted via phone conversations. But I can confirm to you that we have not met with any of the aspirants physically. We need to meet all stakeholders, aspirants, and others in person to resolve the crisis.”
