Senator Mathew Urhoghide

By Jethro Ibileke

The immediate past Senator representing Edo South in the national assembly, Senator Mathew Urhoghide, has returned to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Urhoghide who was Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, during the 9th Assembly, returned to the APC on Monday, almost four months after he resigned his membership of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in May.

He dropped hint of his impending return to the ruling party at the center shortly after he dumped the PDP, in an interview in June.

He confessed that he was under intense pressure from friends, associates and former colleagues in the APC to come over to the ruling party.

Senator Urhoghide who registered for the ruling party at APC Ward 2 secretariat on Airport Road, Benin, was received by the Ward chairman, Mr. Sunny Omokaro.

He had earlier visited the party’s state secretariat to intimate the chairman, David Imuse, of his move, and was later accompanied to the ward secretariat by Imuse.

Also, two former deputy governors, Pius Odubu and Lucky Imasuen; Alhaji Gani Audu, running mate to Pastor Osaze Ize-Iyamu, the APC governorship candidate in the 2020 election and a horde of party supporters were present at the event.

Urhoghide who was a founding member of the PDP, remarked that he left for the party due to disagreement over some issues but was over it and happy to be back home to the ruling party.

According to him, “When I resigned from the PDP in May, I said that I was going to join another party so long as I remain in partisan politics. After a careful evaluation of what is going on in Edo State now, I decided to go back to the party that I was a part of building. This is where I really have my own political friends and associates.”

He further noted that he was not joining alone but was coming over with his teeming followers, emphasizing that there is no ward in the entire 77 wards where he didn’t cite a project.

He said: “I have rejoined. I left because of disagreement but I am back to my roots  I am a founding member. I am here for good. I am back home. I came to rebuild APC. I’ll be part of any decisions that the party takes.”

In his remark, ex-deputy governor Imasuen said that he was happy that the returning senator who was merely “borrowed to the PDP from the APC” was coming back home, adding that the success of the former lawmaker during his eight years stint in the red chambers was because he worked with APC enery.

He said: “Senator Urhoghide has done well. We are happy with him. He has returned home. We have wholeheartedly received him. He must come back home to APC where he tapped his energy from.”

Speaking in the same vein, the state Chairman of the party, David Imuse, appealed to other members who have strayed from the party, who he insisted are either on exile, voyage and sabbatical, to return home.