In a significant political development, former Senator Matthew Urhoghide, who represented Edo South Senatorial District from 2015 to 2023, has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). This announcement comes after Urhoghide had publicly renounced his PDP membership approximately four months ago, making his defection to the APC official on Monday, September 18, 2023.
The former Senator’s formal defection took place at the APC’s Ward 2 secretariat on Airport Road in Benin, Edo State. He was warmly received by the state chairman of the APC, Col. David Imuse (rtd.), and was joined by prominent APC leaders, including two former Edo deputy governors, Dr. Pius Odubu and Chief Lucky Imasuen, as well as Alhaji Gani Audu and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who served as the running mate to the APC’s governorship candidate in the September 19, 2020 governorship election in the state, among other party leaders.
During the reception, Urhoghide officially registered as a member of the APC and expressed his intention to contest the 2024 Edo State governorship election under the banner of the APC.
Explaining the reasons behind his departure from the PDP, Senator Urhoghide mentioned that disagreements over certain issues had compelled him to make this move. However, he emphasized his satisfaction at returning to the APC, a party where he is considered a founding member.
He stated, “When I resigned from the PDP in May, I said I was going to join another political party, so long as I remain in partisan politics. After a careful evaluation of what is going on in Edo State, I decided to go back to the party that I was a part of its building. I am a founding member of APC. This is where I really have my political friends and associates. I came to rebuild APC. I am not rejoining APC alone, but moving with my teeming followers and supporters. There is no ward in the entire 77 wards in Edo South Senatorial District that I did not site a project, while I was in the Senate.”
In his remarks, the Edo State chairman of the APC encouraged other party members who had been on hiatus or had left the party to consider returning to the APC fold. This development adds another layer of complexity to the political landscape in Edo State as parties prepare for the upcoming 2024 governorship election.
