By Emmanuel Aziken & Levinus Nwabughiogu

National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, yesterday, pledged to ensure a level playing ground for all aspirants in the forthcoming governorship primaries in Edo State, asking the aspirants to disregard fears of an anointed candidate.

Speaking during an interactive session with all the declared governorship aspirants, Odigie-Oyegun assured them that to ensure a level playing ground, the list of delegates to be used for the primaries would be the one compiled during the interim leadership of the party by the interim national chairman, Chief Bisi Akande.

The meeting with the aspirants, Vanguard learned, was on the heels of complaints by some party members over the advantages allegedly being given to one of the aspirants by officials of the state administration. The aspirants were said to have cautioned the National Chairman that the emergence of an anointed candidate would backfire especially against the background of the determined effort of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to win back the state.

Assuring the aspirants that all of them would be treated equally, Odigie-Oyegun said: “Once I open my mouth to support any candidate, it hampers my ability to be objective and fair in the process. The minute you ask a candidate to step down, the next question is what is in for that person?

“The APC has recorded credible primaries with examples being the presidential primaries and primaries in Kogi and Bayelsa states.”