Edo election: How APC lost – Tony Momoh

Former Minister of Information, Prince Tony Momoh has revealed how the All Progressives Congress, APC, lost the ‘laurel’ following the fight between Governor Godwin Obaseki and his predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole.

According to him, the APC lost what it was fighting for when the Governor decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, with the State’s purse and his entire political structure.

Momoh, a chieftain of the APC, noted that the fight also crippled “the two elephants” in the sense that Obaseki lost the leadership of the APC while Oshiomhole was sacked as the National Chairman of the party.

He noted that before Obaseki left the APC there was no hope for the PDP winning the election, adding that “I said Edo would be swept by APC and I still want the APC to sweep the votes in the state, [because] I became more confident when Ize-Iyamu joined us in APC ”
 

The politician said, however, that he “became not comfortable when Obaseki left for PDP. I said, Obaseki leaving is not going to be a tea party for us in APC [because] most importantly, he left with our purse.”

He said all the money going to Edo State goes to Obaseki and the Governor left with that money and will no longer fund the APC but will now fund the PDP, “So, see what we have lost,” he lamented, as quoted by the Sun..

“I still say when two elephants fight, the grass suffers, and that is what will happen anywhere in the country. Everywhere two elephants fight the grass suffers,” Momoh added.

“The grass in Edo State suffered because APC in Edo was factionalised into Obaseki- Shaibu Movement and Edo People Movement.

“One operating under the umbrella of Obaseki, while the other under the umbrella of Oshiomhole.

“I said, the laurel why these two elephants are fighting might be lost. Edo is now a PDP state because the governor has moved over to PDP.

“So, we have lost what we were fighting for. Looking at it now, the two elephants were crippled –Obaseki ceased to be leader of APC in Edo, that is crippling and Oshiomhole has ceased to be the national chairman of the party, that is crippling,” added.

He noted that the PDP Governors in South-South are the biggest earners from the federation account and will participate financially to ensure that Obaseki wins.

“They will lose the election if Edo voters insist that they want APC to continue to rule that state and ignore the use of money,” Momoh said.