Retired Commissioner of Police and leader of the Labour Party in Edo Central Senatorial district, Friday Ibadin, refutes claims of switching allegiance to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Reports from DAILY POST suggest that Ibadin dismissed rumors of merging the Obidient movement structures with the PDP to aid Asue Ighodalo, the PDP candidate, in the upcoming September 21 gubernatorial election.
Ibadin, affirming his backing for the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Mr. Olumide Akpata, addressed the speculation sparked by a viral video showing Ighodalo, accompanied by former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Friday Itulah, visiting him.
He clarified that the visit was misconstrued as an indication of his purported intention to abandon the Labour Party in favor of supporting Ighodalo and the PDP.
“The lies by the Asue-led delegation have witnessed poor acceptance by the public as they were quick to point at all the various desperate moves by PDP to deceive the enlightened Edo people to accept their candidate, Asue, by parading PDP members as fake Obidients who defected from either Labour Party or Obidient Movement”.
“Being a traditional man and an in-law to the former Speaker, Hon. Friday Itulah, it is my responsibility to open my doors to any visitor, especially as Hon. Itulah is my in-law, and as a host, my duty was to open my doors to them,” he said.
He affirmed his active membership in the Labour Party and allegiance to the Obedient Movement.
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Simultaneously, Onohinosen Ibhafidon, the Coordinator of the Obedient movement in the Edo Central senatorial district, has raised concerns over the employment of falsehoods by the ruling party in the state as political tactics to mislead the populace.
Ibhafidon, while affirming the unity of Obedients in support of Olumide Akpata, emphasized their detachment from ethnic politics, prioritizing instead the pursuit of effective governance.
However, he called upon the PDP to concentrate on promoting their candidate honestly, rather than resorting to falsehoods and deception as they did with Chief Ibadin.
He asserted that the people of Edo are discerning and seek only competent and inclusive governance, contrasting with the current state of affairs under the APC administration, which fails to meet these criteria.
“To confirm the unity of the Obidient movement in the state and their massive support for the Edo State gubernatorial candidate, Olumide Akpata, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi has charged all lovers of good governance to support Akpata so that the state can witness the massive development as being witnessed in Abia State,” he added.
