Kano State Commissioner for Rural and Community development, Alhaji Ilyasu Musa Kwankwaso, has predicted that the excitement being demonstrated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the victory of the party in the just concluded governorship election in Edo State would be short-lived.
The commissioner, who is a nephew of a former Kano State governor and leader of the PDP in the state, Dr.Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, told journalists in Kano on Tuesday that Governor Godwin Obaseki would soon dump the PDP and return to the All Progressive Congress.
Governor Godwin Obaseki was first elected governor on the ticket of the APC, but won his re-election last Saturday on the platform of the PDP having defected to the party earlier this year.
Speaking to newsmen on the election, Kwankwaso said Obaseki defeated the candidate of the APC, Pastor Ize-Iyamu because of the internal friction in the party and the utterances of some party leaders which pushed the governor out of the party.
Taking a swipe at his nephew and leader of PDP in Kano, the Commissioner said the celebration of Obaseki’s victory would not last because he would come back to the APC.
He said the PDP should have known that Obaseki would return to APC when he defected shortly after visiting President Muhammadu Buhari.
He stated further that he left the APC because he was denied the party’s ticket, adding that the way APC leaders congratulated him after his victory should have been enough signal for PDP.
He said, “our party -APC, lost the battle to clinched victory in Edo governorship election due to internal crisis that rocked the party ,which made Govetnor Obaseki to leave the party for PDP. The PDP knew very well that they do not have credible candidates and that is the reason the party gave its ticket to both the defected governor and his deputy .”
He however disclosed that it was not huhuru yet for PDP, because governor Obaseki and his deputy Philip Shuaibu ,after a while would decamp again to APC” and it will be clear to PDP that the party was just used by the incumbent governor of Edo state to win the election.”
The Commissioner also noted that Pastor Ize-Iyamu defected to APC about 40 days into the election, adding that the problem was compounded wrangling within the APC, especially in the state, which weakened the party as there was no time for reconciliation.
He however disclosed that the campaign put up by APC ,headed by Kano Dtate governor, Dr.Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, was able to still secure the candidate substantial votes despite the crisis, securing 226,000 votes and losing by about 84,000 votes.
He urged those celebrating the defeat of APC in Edo to wait and see what happens in Ondo, expressing confidence that his party would win convincingly in the coming election.
