The Action Democratic Party (ADP) said on Saturday it would welcome Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki “with open arms’’ if he decided to join the party.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) screening committee on Friday disqualified the governor and two other aspirants from the June 22 governorship primaries in Edo State over alleged discrepancies in names and academic credentials, and a few other reasons.
The National Publicity Secretary of the ADP, Mr. Adelaja Adeoye, who disclosed this to journalists in Lagos, said the party would gladly admit Obaseki into its fold and accord him every respect as a sitting governor.
He, however, said Obaseki would have to follow the party’s rules and abide by its principles should he decide to join the party to contest the governorship election on its ticket.
Adeoye said: “Yes, if Obaseki decides to join ADP today, the party will welcome him with open arms. The party runs an open-door policy. So we will gladly receive him.
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“He is the sitting governor so we may give him some waivers and will accord him all the respect as the occupier of the number one office in the state.
“However, we will expect the governor to follow laid- down rules and abide by the principles of the party should he decide to join us to seek our ticket.
“We will also expect him to slug it out with governorship aspirants in the party to get the ticket. He will definitely enjoy some privileges as a sitting governor. We will accord him all the respect.”
He said the ADP is yet to conduct its governorship primaries and that the window of opportunity was there for Obaseki to join and seek the party’s ticket.
The ADP chieftain added that the party would adopt the indirect mode of primaries for its governorship race.
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