Guber Poll: Edo Government Denies Idahosa’s Membership Of PDP’s BoT

The Edo State Government announced on Monday that Mr. Charles Idahosa, a former Special Adviser to former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who recently joined the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state, was never a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s Board of Trustees (BoT).

It should be noted that Idahosa, earlier on Monday, during a meeting with the Edo APC leadership at his residence, renounced his affiliation with the PDP, expressing confidence that the APC would emerge victorious in the gubernatorial election scheduled for September 21, 2024.

Idahosa, a prominent supporter of Governor Godwin Obaseki during his conflict with Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, known for facilitating Obaseki’s transition to the PDP and securing his re-election under the party’s banner, formally resigned from the PDP the previous week. In response to these events, Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Mr. Chris Nehikhare, referred to Idahosa as “a seasoned politician”.

Nehikhare, addressing a press conference at the Government House in Benin, clarified that Idahosa never actually left the APC as he retained the Board appointment he received while with the APC, despite moving alongside Governor Obaseki to the PDP in 2020.

“I must emphasize that Honorable Idahosa’s recent behavior is unbecoming. His assertion of being a member of the PDP BoT is baseless. I challenge him to provide evidence of his induction into the BoT. He was never officially inducted as a PDP BoT member, despite being nominated,” Nehikhare remarked.

“He brings no valuable contribution to any political party he aligns with. He is advanced in age. My advice to him would be: Epa, it is time to retire, “Nehikhare concluded.

Furthermore, the commissioner accused the APC of relying on propaganda for their campaign, emphasizing that “propaganda is not a feasible strategy; Edo deserves more.”

He pointed out that in their eagerness to secure victory in the upcoming election, the APC had resorted to involving the Oba of Benin in political matters, cautioning against dragging the revered monarch into politics.” Given the APC’s lack of a clear strategy, the PDP will dominate them in the gubernatorial race. The APC has failed to present a concrete plan for improving the lives of the people of Edo beyond resorting to propaganda,” Nehikhare stated.

Conversely, he highlighted that Governor Obaseki’s PDP-led administration was the first to implement a minimum wage of N70,000 for workers, in addition to delivering infrastructure development across various sectors in the state.