As the race for 2024 gubernatorial election in Edo state, draws near and tougher, a party faithful in the All Progressive Congress, APC, has questioned the chances of their candidate in the schedule September poll.

Disclosing this in a telephone conversation, our source who pleaded anonymity reminded his party that PDP has Asue (Dr Asue Ighodalo of Peoples Democratic Party) and Olu-Dee (Olumide Akpata of Labour Party) to contend with in the billed election.

He noted that there would be mass defection in June and July following what he described as ‘unmarketability’ of their candidate and ‘disagreement among leaders’.

He said: “The thing going on in APC now is unbelievable. Everybody is just angry. The question is how did the party candidate emerge? He is the worst of the candidates in the election.

“People did not know how he managed to emerge or how the leaders did it. Now people are finding it difficult to market him. And when they complain, the leaders will say Party is supreme, party is supreme. How can the party be supreme when you have Asue (Dr Asue Ighodalo of Peoples Democratic Party) and Olu-Dee (Olumide Akpata of Labour Party) to contest with?

“So that is what is going on. Everybody is just angry now. But because the party leaders will not allow them to talk, they have now formed numerous groups and caucuses. They’re very many.

“The biggest challenge to APC is coming from Esan land. Our people are insisting that after giving Edo people two Professors, Prof Ambrose Alli and Prof Osunbor, they cannot afford to give Edo people a welder. That is the issue now. They seem to be saying the man will disgrace Esan people. Unfortunately, it is too late to do anything about it. So, what they are doing is answering APC by day and fully doing PDP or LP at night. But not everybody has that time.

The source further alluded to the near irreconcilable differences among top leaders of the party. He said they are “barely tolerating themselves, but deep down, there is big resentment and animosity within the party leadership hierarchy, I tell you. One is in Abuja and the other one is in Benin here and they have their followers beefing themselves,” he concluded.