The power of a governor as Obaseki wields deciding stick, says there will be no Direct Primary in Edo

The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has said in its briefings that states should manage the pandemic through measures unique to their states.

Between the squirrel and the trap, the owner of the farm yard will soon be determined as Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki wields the deciding stick on what direction primary election to picking the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the states forthcoming governorship election will take.

This is as the governor insisted that there would be no ‘direct primary’ in the state. He stressed that only ‘indirect primary’ could hold in the state in accordance with the rule gazetted in newspapers on Friday.

The new rule partly reads, That in respect of political gatherings for the purpose of conducting primaries for any of the parties desiring to field candidates in the forthcoming gubernatorial election, gatherings of more than 20 persons may be allowed, subject to the written approval of the Governor, if such gatherings do not exceed 5,000 persons; hold in Benin City and in a single facility with a large seating capacity of not less than 10,000 persons; are provided with adequate health, safety, and sanitary facilities and are COVID-19 response compliant with social distancing policy, hand-washing and proper use of face masks fully observed.

However, the governor, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, on Saturday said, The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has said in its briefings that states should manage the pandemic through measures unique to their states.

He added that, On the basis of that, we have deployed this measure in Edo State, the rule has been gazetted and so direct primaries cannot hold here as far as that regulation is concerned. So, it has to be indirect, in order to be working in line with the extant rule in the state.

The only mode of primary that is permissible according to that law is indirect primaries, and we believe it is correct to do so because for that option, it is just one location and you can deploy all agencies of government responsible for ensuring compliance with the protocols.

Reacting to the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomholes letter to INEC that the party would use a direct mode of primary, Osagie said, He can write, and the fact that he wrote doesnt mean that is what is going to happen. The rules have to be followed. Dont forget that the first responsibility of the governor is to protect the lives and property of the people.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)s National Commissioner, Dr. Festus Okoye, reportedly said the commissions rules, regulations and laws allowed it to only relate with the national chairman and national secretary of political parties meaning that only the decision of the APC’s national chairman will be followed in what mode the primary election will take.

Watchers of event are, however, at fingers crossed to know who laughs last between Oshiomole and Obaseki, who has the powers as governor and under the COVID-19 regulations, to manage what event should hold in his state within the given period.