Edo 2020: PDP grants waiver to Obaseki, shifts primaries to June 25

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has granted waiver to Edo Governor, Godwin Obaseki, to contest the party’s governorship primaries.

The party, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan on Friday in Abuja, also announced the postponement of the party’s governorship primaries to June 25.

It was reported that Obaseki, who, on Tuesday, resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), picked his PDP membership card at the party’s secretariat in Benin City, on Friday.

Ologbondiyan said that the waiver was pursuant to the power granted the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) by the party’s constitution.

“The action of the NWC is pursuant to Section 29(2)(b) of the PDP constitution and in exercise of the powers of the NEC under Section (50)(3)(b) of the party’s constitution.

“The NWC, in exercise of the above powers, has ratified the application for waiver by the ward, local government and state executives of the party in Edo, and accordingly granted waiver to Obaseki to enable him contest the gubernatorial primaries of the PDP.

“Also, the NWC has further shifted the Edo governorship primaries from an earlier slated date of June 23 to June 25.

“The shift is again predicated on exigencies of party activities,” he said.

It was reported that the party had, on Thursday, shifted its primaries, which had hitherto been scheduled for June 19 and June 20 to June 23.