In a significant political shift ahead of the Edo gubernatorial election, Francis Alimikhena and Ogbeide-Ihama have formally defected from the PDP to the APC, reshaping the political landscape.
Senator Francis Alimikhena and Hon Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama have officially switched their political allegiance from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), just one week before Edo State’s governorship election on September 21, 2024.
It has been reported that the pair served in the 8th and 9th National Assembly, respectively.
Alimikhena formerly held the position of senator for Edo North Senatorial District, and Ogbeide-Ihama previously served as representative of Oredo Federal Constituency.
Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the National Chairman, received both members of the duo into the party.
Senator Francis Alimikhena expressed his joy at returning to the APC and pledged to rally his supporters towards casting their votes for the party in the upcoming gubernatorial election.
Ogbeide-Ihama had previously warned his former political party, the PDP, about their decision to appoint Governor Godwin Obaseki in 2020. However, despite his counsel they chose not to heed his advice.
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“I cautioned the PDP in 2020 about their impunity when Governor Godwin Obaseki was brought through a covert method. In 2024, despite his own entrance via such means, Governor Obaseki employed the same tactic to bring Asue Ighodalo from Lagos.”
It is imperative to put an end to the impunity of a man who only joined the party last September.
On Saturday, those who upheld the impunity via the National Working Committee ought to bring along their Voter Cards; and equally so, those who opposed it by demanding that the governor presents his successor should also turn up with theirs on that same day.
He stated that he and the governor originate from identical local governments and only time will reveal who prevails. In 2020, they accomplished this against him; in 2024, Monday Okpebholo will encounter an equivalent fate.
Remembers that Francis Alimikhena ran for a senate seat as a member of the PDP in competition with Senator Adams Oshiomhole.
It is worth noting that on August 19, 2024, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu designated Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama as the newly-appointed Executive Director (Strategy & Commercial) of Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC).
