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By Bayo Davids
Former Minister of Works, Mike Onolomemen has alleged that the manipulation of the 2023 Senatorial primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, informed his decision to quit the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Onolomemen, who is seeking the ticket of the APC to contest the Edo State governorship election, stated this in Abuja with journalists on Thursday.
He said, “It is true that I have been a member of the PDP. Up till 2023, I was a member of the party, but something happened that I just couldn’t relate with. Right from the beginning of 2023, I set out to run for a senatorial seat, that is the Edo Central Senatorial District. In that primary election, I won in a very stylish way. I got 90 per cent of the votes and the remaining 10 per cent was shared by the remaining five aspirants.
“But at a time, I thought it was over, the Governor of the State, Godwin Obaseki had come in and was supporting somebody who did not even partake in the primaries to take over the seat. Initially, we thought it was a joke. We went to the High Court and from there to the Court of Appeal and from there to the Supreme Court. Funny enough, the Supreme Court gave them judgment. For me, that was the breaking point. From that point, I did not accept to go further because it was one too many. That was what happened.”
In the words of the former Minister of State for Defence, his relative newness in the ruling party is not a disadvantage, saying, “Those in APC today were once in PDP with us in Edo State. Many of them are people we have done things together politically. When we are together, we don’t discriminate against one another. Because of that, it is the same characters you are dealing with. So, you don’t feel as if you are a newcomer. We are comers as it were.
“We can go to each other’s constituencies and talk to the people. Our people are very smart and they know where their bread is buttered. I have made serious consultations in the three Senatorial Districts and I am satisfied with those consultations. It is the satisfaction I got from that exercise that is pushing me on.
Justifying his reason for joining the race, the architect-turned politician stated that he is not seeking a ticket for the first time, even as highlighted the reason that made him perish his ambition in the interest of the party, in the past.
“The truth is that in the past four gubernatorial contests in Edo State, I’ve always been interested. For about three times, I was prevailed upon by the leadership to let it go to other persons. Sometimes, we just accept but I believe this is the right time. You can see we (the aspirants) are all about the same age bracket. So, we don’t have any limitations.
“For me, it is my intention and it’s something I have thought about for the past 15 years. That is about four cycles of election. I believe this is the best time in a sense for this project to crystallize because whether you like it or not, we have come of age.
He also added that come 2024, Edo Central should be supported by other zones to produce Obaseki’s successor.
“From what I can say, zoning is cardinal in this forthcoming election that we are talking about because when we started in Edo State, the majority of the stakeholders were asked to come to a roundtable to agree on a formula. This is to ensure that the process was not rowdy and at that time, it was agreed that the most populous senatorial district would take the first shot. And that was how Lucky Igbinedion became the Governor of Edo State.
“And of course, when the leadership of the party took that position, we all queued behind them and we worked for the candidate and the candidate won. After Edo South, it was now the turn of Edo North and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole got that ticket and he ran with it for two terms. This was after Oserheimen Osunbor had his mandate truncated by the court. At the end of his tenure, you recall that there was a bit of antagonism and Edo South wanted to come back to it but were prevailed upon not to do such a thing- that is was not just about having the population but that we all came from a common source and that as brothers, we should relate with one another that way.
“Like I said, Osunbor’s tenure was truncated by the court of law and that was how Oshiomhole came in. Having said that, we have accepted the process of zoning and counter zoning like we have experienced.
“Going by this zoning, it has fallen upon the Edo Central Senatorial District where I come from. We truly believe that looking back and seeing what it has been, it is only fair that Edo Central is given the opportunity to fly the flag of the party in the coming gubernatorial contest and I also share that belief.”
Onolomemen, who is seeking the ticket of the APC to contest the Edo State governorship election, stated this in Abuja with journalists on Thursday.
He said, “It is true that I have been a member of the PDP. Up till 2023, I was a member of the party, but something happened that I just couldn’t relate with. Right from the beginning of 2023, I set out to run for a senatorial seat, that is the Edo Central Senatorial District. In that primary election, I won in a very stylish way. I got 90 per cent of the votes and the remaining 10 per cent was shared by the remaining five aspirants.
“But at a time, I thought it was over, the Governor of the State, Godwin Obaseki had come in and was supporting somebody who did not even partake in the primaries to take over the seat. Initially, we thought it was a joke. We went to the High Court and from there to the Court of Appeal and from there to the Supreme Court. Funny enough, the Supreme Court gave them judgment. For me, that was the breaking point. From that point, I did not accept to go further because it was one too many. That was what happened.”
In the words of the former Minister of State for Defence, his relative newness in the ruling party is not a disadvantage, saying, “Those in APC today were once in PDP with us in Edo State. Many of them are people we have done things together politically. When we are together, we don’t discriminate against one another. Because of that, it is the same characters you are dealing with. So, you don’t feel as if you are a newcomer. We are comers as it were.
“We can go to each other’s constituencies and talk to the people. Our people are very smart and they know where their bread is buttered. I have made serious consultations in the three Senatorial Districts and I am satisfied with those consultations. It is the satisfaction I got from that exercise that is pushing me on.
Justifying his reason for joining the race, the architect-turned politician stated that he is not seeking a ticket for the first time, even as highlighted the reason that made him perish his ambition in the interest of the party, in the past.
“The truth is that in the past four gubernatorial contests in Edo State, I’ve always been interested. For about three times, I was prevailed upon by the leadership to let it go to other persons. Sometimes, we just accept but I believe this is the right time. You can see we (the aspirants) are all about the same age bracket. So, we don’t have any limitations.
“For me, it is my intention and it’s something I have thought about for the past 15 years. That is about four cycles of election. I believe this is the best time in a sense for this project to crystallize because whether you like it or not, we have come of age.
He also added that come 2024, Edo Central should be supported by other zones to produce Obaseki’s successor.
“From what I can say, zoning is cardinal in this forthcoming election that we are talking about because when we started in Edo State, the majority of the stakeholders were asked to come to a roundtable to agree on a formula. This is to ensure that the process was not rowdy and at that time, it was agreed that the most populous senatorial district would take the first shot. And that was how Lucky Igbinedion became the Governor of Edo State.
“And of course, when the leadership of the party took that position, we all queued behind them and we worked for the candidate and the candidate won. After Edo South, it was now the turn of Edo North and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole got that ticket and he ran with it for two terms. This was after Oserheimen Osunbor had his mandate truncated by the court. At the end of his tenure, you recall that there was a bit of antagonism and Edo South wanted to come back to it but were prevailed upon not to do such a thing- that is was not just about having the population but that we all came from a common source and that as brothers, we should relate with one another that way.
“Like I said, Osunbor’s tenure was truncated by the court of law and that was how Oshiomhole came in. Having said that, we have accepted the process of zoning and counter zoning like we have experienced.
“Going by this zoning, it has fallen upon the Edo Central Senatorial District where I come from. We truly believe that looking back and seeing what it has been, it is only fair that Edo Central is given the opportunity to fly the flag of the party in the coming gubernatorial contest and I also share that belief.”