On March 4, 2023, an X user (formerly Twitter) tweeted that Asue Ighodalo, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been disqualified. He added that Philip Shuaibu, the deputy governor of Edo State and a governorship aspirant of the PDP, has been declared the candidate of the PDP in Edo State.
As of the time of this report, the tweet has garnered over 4,000 views.
Claim: Asue Ighodalo has been disqualified, and Philip Shuaibu has been declared the PDP gubernatorial candidate for Edo State
Verification:
On February 22, 2024, the PDP declared Asue Ighodalo as the winner of the PDP gubernatorial primary election. According to Dauda Lawal, the governor of Zamfara and the returning officer of the primary election, Ighodalo scored 577 votes, followed by his closest rival, Philip Shuaibu, who scored 1 vote. The election recorded a total of 10 aspirants.
However, the Philip Shuaibu-led faction conducted a parallel primary election in Shuaibu’s home. The delegates were allegedly denied entry to the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium and they had to conduct the primary election in Shuaibu’s residence. After the parallel primary election, Bartholomew Moses, the returning officer declared Shuaibu as the PDP candidate.
In a similar vein, the PDP presented the certificate of return to Ighodalo at the PDP National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza, in Abuja. While presenting the report, the party’s national chairman, Umar Damagum, said “The PDP is one and that the party organized and recognized only the primary election which took place at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin and produced Ighodalo as its candidate.”
Since the presentation of the certificate of return to Ighodalo, several events have occurred in the political landscape in Edo state. The House of Assembly has issued an impeachment notice to the deputy governor, Philip Shuaibu. Findings by CDD War Room indicate that Asue Ighodalo remains the recognized candidate of the PDP and will fly the PDP flag in the September 2024 election.
Verdict:FALSE
The CDD War Room can confirm that Asue Ighodalo remains the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and has not been disqualified. We can confirm that the party did not issue a certificate of return to Philip Shuaibu and he is not recognized as the candidate of the PDP.