Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has met with Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, in Abuja, in a bid to secure his support for his preferred successor ahead of PDP primaries Asue Ighodalo.
The meeting took place in Abuja, and was attended by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State, who came with Obaseki.
Obaseki’s peace move was necessitated by the reality of a strong opposition from Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, a former member of the House of Representatives and the preferred candidate of Dan Orbih, Wike’s key ally in Edo State.
Ighodalo is seeking the governorship ticket of the PDP in Edo State in the February 22, 2024, primary election. There is also the challenge from Philip Shaibu, the current deputy governor.
Although Ighodalo has expressed confidence in winning the party’s ticket, going into the primaries against Ogbeide-Ihama and Shaibu is viewed in Obaseki’s camp as a delicate game.
At the meeting with Wike, Obaseki was said to have sought “reconciliation” and apologised for previous misunderstanding between them.
According to the deal, Ighodalo would be willing to pick Ogbeide-Ihama as his running mate.
Wike reportedly told him point-blank that he would not have any dealings with him as he was not known to have kept faith with anyone that assisted him in the past.
