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Edo APC seeks Tinubu magic?

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Asiwaju Tinubu : The limits of political influence

National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to visit Edo State this week to lend support to his party for the forthcoming governorship election in that state.

 

Sources say Tinubu, a former governor himself from Lagos State is likely to be in Edo in hopes of shoring up the chances of the APC in the state to clinch the governorship seat of the state.

 

It was gathered that Tinubu’s counsel may have been called in as a result of the dwindling popularity of APC in the state, whose candidate, Godwin Obaseki is viewed by many as an imposition by the incumbent, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

 

Tinubu is regarded as a game changer in many quarters, due to how he has influenced the outcome of elections in the past of candidates into different positions.

 

This is in spite of how he is regarded as having lost out in the just concluded Ondo State governorship primary of his party where a candidate he was rumoured to have supported lost out.

 

Rotimi Akeredolu, a former president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) beat Olusegun Abraham to emerge as the APC candidate for the November 26 governorship election in that state.

 

Read also: Unlike Oshiomhole, Edo State will be my constituency, Ize-Iyamu promises

 

Tinubu, and some other party leaders were rumoured to have thrown his weight behind Abraham, a situation which caused rancor within the Ondo APC just before the primaries, leading to the sack of the state chairman of the party, Isaac Kekemeke.

 

A source said that “Baba will go there (Edo). Seems our party is losing ground to Iyamu (Osagie Ize-Iyamu, PDP candidate) and he (Tinubu) has to lend his support to make sure we don’t lose the state.

 

“Signs from Edo are not looking too good. Many think that Obaseki is a puppet of Oshiomhole, and that the governor will still be in control even after he leaves if APC wins.

 

“Remember that Baba is a game changer. He has a lot to offer Edo APC that can swing the tide in our favour”, the source stated.

 

The source also dispelled rumours over the health of Tinubu who recently returned from a foreign trip. It’s just the usual rumours spread by people with nothing to do wishing other people ill will. Nothing is wrong with Baba. He travelled to attend to his interests abroad. He is very fit”, he assured.

 

Fears that APC may lose the Edo election to PDP is not helped by the party’s candidate, Obaseki, and his supposed godfather, Oshiomhole, as both have unknowingly given fuel to rumours that Obaseki is a puppet to Oshiomhole.

 

Many readily point at how Oshiomhole readily takes the shine at virtually every campaign rally of the party, with Obaseki left to do little or nothing at such events, except say a few lines.

 

 

 

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