Felix Akhabue, one of the governorship aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Frank Okiye, the former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, have defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
DAILY POST reports that Akhabue and Okiye were among the politicians who have resigned from PDP in the last few weeks.
DAILY POST recalls that Felix Akhabue was one of the 10 aspirants on the platform of PDP for the September 21 governorship election who protested the outcome of the ward and local government congresses.
Akhabue and Okiye last week resigned from PDP.
While Akhabue was a former Esan West Local Government Chairman as well as a former Commissioner for Business, Wealth Creation and Cooperative during Governor Obaseki’s first tenure, Okiye was once deputy chief of staff in the office of the deputy governor during the Adams Oshiomhole administration. He was also the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly in 2019 but impeached in 2020.
The duo joined several others who defected to APC on Sunday at the Edo Central senatorial political rally held in Ekpoma, the administrative headquarters of Esan West Local Government Area.
Okiye had hinged his decision to resign from the party on the alleged alienation of the majority of his constituents and supporters by the state government under Governor Obaseki from the activities and programmes of the party and the government of the state.
His other reason was the alleged declaration by the party’s governorship candidate for the September 21 election, Asue Ighodalo, to continue on Governor Obaseki’s principles should he win the September election, while other reasons are personal.
Speaking at the rally, the former speaker said that about 2, 500 people moved to APC in Esan West, Esan Central, Esan North East, Esan South East and Igueben.
According to him, about 2500 people from the Labour Party and PDP joined APC on Sunday.
“Prior to today, we had met, discussed and asked the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led PDP government to address the issues of alienation, disillusionment, and high handedness and despotic tendencies. Nothing has been done to address the issue, so we, the “Aborigine” PDP, have just given the Obaseki-led PDP a red card.
“We will begin the house-to-house campaign soon and let people know why they must leave PDP and join APC.
“They must vote for a candidate who is humane and not business people who are in the state to make profit,” he said.
The former speaker, who opined that with the defection, PDP has lost a minimum of 500 votes, noted that the 500 people also have people they can convince to work for APC.