Edo State Governor and winner of the September 19, 2020 governorship election in the state, Godwin Obaseki, on Tuesday, urged former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole; and the APC candidate in the Saturday election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, to forget their differences with him and work for the progress of the state.
Obaseki stated this in his speech after receiving he and his deputy, Phillip Shaibu, received their certificates of return from the Independent National Electoral Commission.
INEC National Commissioner in charge of Edo, Rivers, and Bayelsa, Mrs May Agbmuche-Mbu, presented the certificates to both Obaseki and Shaibu at the INEC office in Benin.
“I’m using this opportunity to extend hand of fellowship to my brother, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and his other colleagues in the All Progressives Congress to join us and work with us so that we can move Edo forward. On a specific note, I want to use this occasion to call on the former chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, that the fight is over and he should come and join in building the house where he was part of laying the foundation”
INEC had on Sunday declared Obaseki, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, as winner of the keenly contested election.
INEC’s Returning Officer, Prof. Akpofure Rim-Rukeh, said Obaseki polled 307,955 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ize-Iyamu, who got 223,619 votes.
Obaseki, while delivering a speech on Tuesday at INEC’s office, said, “To our friends and our brothers on the other side of the divide, we are one family in the pursuit to provide services and public good for our citizens.
“Our citizens have decided that as for now, they trust us more to provide them leadership. It does not mean that they do not have a role to play. It does not mean that they are not part of a family.
“I’m using this opportunity to extend hand of fellowship to my brother, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and his other colleagues in the All Progressives Congress to join us and work with us so that we can move Edo forward.
“On a specific note, I want to use this occasion to call on the former chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, that the fight is over and he should come and join in building the house where he was part of laying the foundation.
“We have no malice, the only thing we disagreed on is in the approach in moving Edo forward.”