Jethro Ibileke/Benin

Smarting from its victory in last Saturday’s presidential election in Edo State, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the State, has taunted Governor Godwin Obaseki over his failure to deliver the one million votes he promised President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The state chairman of PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, who spoke in Benin on Tuesday, said the result of the election clearly showed that Obaseki’s promise was an empty boast meant to massage the president’s ego, which dismissed with the wave of a hand.

He however commended the police for playing a neutral role during last the polls in the state.

Against the backdrop of back to back victory in the 2015 and the 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections, Orbih said the victory cleared showed that Edo is a PDP state.

The PDP which scored 275,671 votes to better APC’s 267,800 votes in the presidential election, also won two of the three senatorial seats and four out of the nine House of Representatives seats.

Going down memory lane, Orbih reminded that when the PDP took the state in 2015 during the current APC national chairman, Conrade Adams Oshiomhole’s time as governor of Edo state, the excuse was that it was a combination of sympathy votes for ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, a fellow Niger Deltan and intimidation by security personnel.

He said: “Obaseki was just blowing empty when he promised Buhari one million votes. Oshiomhole’s excuse of intimidation by security personnel in 2015 did not hold water as his party, the APC is now in charge. Also, Jonathan is no longer in power. The result clearly showed that Edo is a PDP state.”

Orbih who dedicated the victory to Edo people, added that the feat would have been difficult to achieve if not for the gallantry of the police, led by Commissioner of Police in charge of elections in the state, Mr. Mohammed DanMallam who ensured that the combined team of security operatives played a neutral role.

The PDP chairman who adduced the party’s defeat in the 2016 governorship poll to too much concentration of security personnel in the state, majority of who were dubious, however called for a constitutional amendment that will eliminate a one off election.