How Buhari helped me defeat APC – Obaseki opens up

The governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has revealed why President Muhammadu Buhari helped him to win his opponent, Ize-Iyamu in the just concluded governorship election in the state.

Obaseki has showered a flurry of encomium on Buhari, with the Edo governor saying that he won the Saturday, September 19 guber election because the Nigerian leader wanted people’s will to succeed.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with BBC on Sunday, September 20, after being declared the winner of the keenly contested election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Obaseki said the president’s neutrality sealed his victory.

The governor disclosed that prior to the election, President Buhari issued a statement where he gave a strict warning that all party candidates going into the poll must get a “level playing field.”

“Before the election, the president issued a statement that everybody should do their work as they were supposed to do, that every party should get a level playing field.

“The president also ordered the INEC and the inspector-general of police to do their work and truly they did their work,” the governor said.

Recall that after months of intrigues and political theatrics, Governor Obaseki comfortably sailed to the shore of victory as he defeated Ize-Iyamu.

The Edo governor was declared the winner of the anticipated poll by INEC having met all requirements by polling 307,955 and winning 13 out of the 18 local government areas in Edo state.

Prominent Nigerians including former vice president Atiku Abubakar, Dele Momodu, and former president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan have described Obaseki’s victory as a win for democracy and end to political godfatherism.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has congratulated Governor Godwin Obaseki on his re-election as the governor of Edo State, saying the election is peaceful and its outcome represents a victory for Nigeria’s democracy.

The chairman of the APC national caretaker committee, Mai Mala Buni said in a statement that the peaceful conduct of the election and its outcome represents a victory for Nigeria’s democracy.

He said the party and the president remain committed to free and fair elections to strengthen the foundation of the country’s political and moral authority.

He commended INEC, security agencies, and all political parties that contested the election for the successful conduct of the election.

READ ALSO: APC Finally Congratulates Obaseki On His Re-Election, Says Victory for Democracy

He also commended the party’s flagbearer Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu for his tenacity and leadership while appreciating the efforts of the immediate past national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, and other members for demonstrating unwavering support for the party and its candidate in the election.

Governor Buni added that it is time to unite to move the country’s democracy forward and put an end to the era when the electoral contest becomes warfare.

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