EX-PDP CHIEFTAIN EGHAREVBA JOINS APC, SAYS OBASAKI’S LEGACY DAMAGED IGHODALO’S CHANCES

Reverend Michael Egharevba, a former stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing what he described as a betrayal of the political class by former Governor Godwin Obaseki and its ripple effect on the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Asue Ighodalo.
Addressing journalists in Benin, Egharevba said his defection was long overdue, describing it as “political osmosis” that aligns with the realities on ground. According to him, Ighodalo’s electoral loss was less about his competence and more about public backlash against Obaseki. “Obaseki alienated everyone. He became an ingrate after winning reelection. That hurt Ighodalo badly,” he said.
Egharevba, who officially joined the APC on Democracy Day, predicted that more PDP leaders would follow suit, declaring the APC as “the future of Nigeria” and expressing confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 reelection prospects.
“The coalition they are forming will not work. Internal wrangling will destroy them from within. Meanwhile, Tinubu is consolidating his base. The 2027 results will dwarf 2023,” he said.
Political analysts see Egharevba’s move as part of a broader realignment in Edo politics, where shifting allegiances and Obaseki’s fractured legacy continue to influence the electoral map. With gubernatorial politics heating up and the APC gaining ground, the next phase of Edo’s political evolution appears to be already unfolding.