By Jethro Ibileke
Factional members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Edo state, who allegedly conducted a mock governorship primaries last week would soon be quarantined by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC).
Factional state publicly secretary of the party loyal to Governor Godwin Obaseki, Mr. Joseph Osagiede, made this known on Wednesday while responding to Edo People’s Movement (EPM)’s paid publication to deny a mock primary that took place in Benin.
Recall that five aspirants allegedly gathered at the private residence of Lucky Imasuen, a former Deputy Governor of the state, under the directive of the national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, to pick a consensus aspirant to wrestle the party’s ticket from incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki, in the election coming up later this year.
The mock election tagged ‘family meeting’ however ended in deadlock, with one of the leading members of the party in the state, Barr. Henry Idahagbon, alleging non-transparency on the part of its organisers.
Osagiede alleged that the over 50 delegates gathered against the directive of the federal government’s social distancing policy and prohibition of public gatherings of more than 20 persons, to check the spread of Covid-19.
He added that the large congregation of persons which took place at a time when collaborative efforts are being put in place to curtail the spread of Covid-19, contravenes the NCDC’s guidelines.
“The information did not reach us in time that there was such a gathering, by the time the information got to us, they had started fighting within themselves and that was what led to their dispersing.
“We have since informed the NCDC, whose responsibility it is to arrest, quarantine and isolate them to determine if they are safe to be in the society,” he said.
Osagiede described a statement in the said publication that Obaseki has merely scratched the surface and played to the gallery in his effort at fighting Covid-19″, as mischievous, noting that Edo state is the flagship in the fight against the pandemic.
“Unfortunately, EPM members are too blind to see all of these Governor Obaseki’s management of the pandemic, his well-articulated and structured lockdown and curfew management has become a national model,” he added