By Ndubuisi Orji in Benin

ALL is set for the conduct of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries for the Edo governorship election. Today, 576 delegates drawn from the 192 wards in the state will converge on the Hardball Court, Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, in Benin City, the Edo State capital to select the party’s gubernatorial candidate.

Today’s primaries, is very crucial to the party in its quest to regain the reins of government in the state, which it lost in 2008.

The party, no doubt understands the importance of getting it right.

Three aspirants will be participating in the primaries. They are former governorship candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party(ANPP) ,Chief Solomon Edebiri , former Secretary to the State Government(SSG), Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and former majority leader of the state House of Assembly, Mathew Iduoriyekemwn.

So far, the three governorship hopeful have conducted their campaign and consultations in a rancour-free manner. The trio at several fora has reiterated their resolve to rally round any of them who emerges as the party’s candidate.

However, there have been speculations in certain quarters that the party leadership in the state may have zeroed in on a particular aspirant. But the state publicity secretary of the party, Mr. Chris Nehikhare told

Daily Sun in Benin that the party is set to conduct the most credible primaries in the state.

According to him, the outcome of the primaries would be a prelude to the party’s quest to retake the state. He said so far, the party has provided a level playing field for all the aspirants in the contest.

NehiKhare told Daily Sun: “Monday is just the crescendo. There have been a lot of activities preparing for Monday. We have one executive committee in the national headed by Markarfi. It is embarrassing that Sheriff will behave in such unlikely manner.

The members of the party have rejected him. Edo State PDP is answerable to Ma- karfi. The party is organising the freest and most transparent primaries ever in the history of Nigeria.

We have even gone as far as telling the delegates not to exchange money. We want it to be free and fair. We told the aspirants not to spend money irresponsibly. The delegates have not been a secret. Everybody has access to the delegates from day one. So, it is the only party where you can say that the party leadership had chosen one person over the other. You cannot say the members of the state executive as personified by Chief Dan Orbih and other leaders of the party; they have not come out to say that this is their preferred candidate. They have been firm. The party has been transparent in all its dealings with all the aspirants.

“What we tend to give people is a candidate the generality of Edo people want. We want to win the general election and we believe that the delegates know what the people on the street are saying; who the people believe can win the general election once they make a decision”.

Many agree that the quest of the main opposition party to produce the next governor of the state effectively starts today. The consensus among critical observers is that if the PDP gets it right, the battle for the governorship seat is half won.

There are those who strongly hold the opinion that in the event that the PDP fails to have a rancour-free primaries, then it would have done itself a great disservice.

The aspirants Solomon Edebiri

Edebiri is aspiring to lead the state for the third time. He contested the governorship election for the first time in 2007 on the platform of the defunct Progressives Peoples Party(PPP). In 2012, he was the governorship candidate of the ANPP. Although he came third in the contest, his performance in the gubernatorial debate shot up his rating in the politics of the state.

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Prior to the fusion of the ANPP into the the APC, he was the deputy national chairman of the party in the South. He is believed to be a man of high integrity.

In the estimation of analysts, he is coming with new ideas as he has not been in any governmental position.

The gubernatorial hopeful said if he’s elected governor, he would embark on massive employment generation and that create as much as one million direct and indirect jobs within his four year tenure as governor.

However, many complain that he is too gentle and decent for Nigeria’’s variant of politics. But a PDP chieftain in Edo Central, who would not want his name mentioned said Edebiri’’s gentility is his strength and not weakness, noting that the Uhumeonde-born politician is the kind of man the politics of today demands.

The party chieftain said that with Edebiri as gubernatorial candidate, victory is guaranteed for the opposition party in Edo State.

Osagie ize-Iyamu

Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is former Secretary to the Edo State Government in the second tenure of former Governor Lucky Igbinedion.

Before then, he was Chief of Staff to Igbinedion in his first tenure. He led some aggrieved members of the Edo PDP to form the Grace Group, a political pressure group that has over time metamorphosed

into the present day APC in Edo State. But following political differences with Governor Adams Oshiomhole, he returned to the PDP, about two years ago.

The former SSG said he is running for the PDP primaries on the crest of his experience in government and his integrity.

He believes that once he clinches the party’s gubernatorial ticket, there would be no stopping the party in the September 10 governorship poll.

He told Daily Sun in Benin: “I am a pastor, so people can vouch for my integrity. I have network of friends that cuts across the 192 wards in the 18 local government areas in the State. And because of that, selling me will not be difficult. I also have friends in the government in power so that if I become the candidate, selling me will not be difficult.

That apart, Edo has been traumatized in the past seven and half years and they are looking for somebody they can trust. Somebody who is human and who is accessible; somebody who can deal with the problems and make this place a better place. With all modesty, I believe that I am qualified because I am experienced.

“For the first time, our people will be voting for somebody that had a new agenda. We have an agenda, it is also shows where we are going to. “By the grace of God. We are very optimistic that we will win the

election if we get the ticket.”

Mathew Idoureyekemen Mathew Idoureyekemen is former majority leader of the Edo State House of Assembly, where he represented Ikpoba Okha state constituency for eight years. He once represented

the state on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). He contested the 2012 gubernatorial primaries of the PDP and lost.

One of his greatest strengths in today’s governorship primaries is his consistency in the party. Iduoriyekemwn had remained with the party in thick and thin.