Edo Guber 2024: Ighodalo Only Candidate, Says Oredo Campaign Committee

•APC, LP counter PDP, defend own candidates

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Ahead of the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oredo Campaign Council on Monday said the only candidate and the political party that have the structure to win the election is Dr. Asue Ighodalo as well as the PDP

Addressing a press conference in Benin City, the chairman, publicity sub-committee of the campaign council, Crusoe Osagie, said the race would be a three-pronged race made up of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Labour Party (LP).

Osagie, flanked by other members of the sub-committee, however, noted the candidates of the APC, Senator Monday Okpebholo; and that of the LP, Olumide Akpata, lacked the needed capacity to lead Edo State.

But both the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, and Labour Party, LP, have firmly condemned and rejected PDP’s characterization of their governorship candidates as incompetent and provided counter points to disprove PDP’s claims.

According to PDP’s Osagie: “So that leaves us with one person, Dr. Asuelimen Ighodalo, an accomplished lawyer who built one of the biggest law firms in Africa Banwo and Ighodalo, with the largest number of lawyers in the country, and pays perhaps the highest wages to lawyers.

“He has been chairman of many blue-chip companies. He has led peoples destinies aright and established successful businesses. He has contributed to the development of this state pro bono providing advice and guidance to government from the time of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole till today.

“So, we believe that he is the only candidate that is viable so we are calling on all Edo people to join us in Oredo because we know we are going to give the PDP and Ighodalo a landslide victory in Oredo Local Government; we are certain about this. We are also calling on other local government areas to join us to do the right thing.” 

Analysing what he said were the deficiencies of the other candidates, Osagie said Akpata of the LP is an inexperienced private sector practitioner that has never done anything in government before and that his coming from Edo South when the people wanted somebody from Edo Central also showed his political insensitivity.

He said: “Akpata is not very sensitive otherwise he would have put the interest of a whole senatorial district into consideration above his personal interest. He believed that he is accomplished and he must run but I think he should run a sensitive race.

“He should have considered the fact that Edo Central Senatorial District for over twenty years has been excluded from the governorship political calculation and they deserve to be given the opportunity to be on the table otherwise there is not going to be equity, fairness, justice and it won’t work and on the grounds of that Olumide Akpata should have waited and put the interest of a whole senatorial district into consideration.

“Just because you know that I can try it does not mean that you should try it. You must look at the room, you must try to understand the sentiments, what the people are saying right now after all it is the people you are coming to lead.”

On Okpebholo of the APC, Osagie said for a man who cannot differentiate between a zoo and a museum does not have the capacity to govern over four million people of Edo State.

According to Osagie, “Even though he is from the Edo Central, he also does not have the requisite persona, intelligence, brightness, to be a governor. We always hope that our leaders should be more intelligent than us because we are giving our lives to them to lead. So how can we give our lives to someone who doesn’t know that animals are supposed to be in the zoo and not the museum? How do you give your life to such a person, I don’t have any business with him as a person, he can be a successful businessman but not to be the governor of our state. He cannot have the collective destiny of over four million people into his custody so to that extent, he is not qualified to be our governor.”

APC, LP React, Defend Own Candidates

But rejecting PDP’s claims, the Public Relations Officer of the LP, Sam Uruopa, said the only experience Akpata does not have is in embezzling public funds which PDP and APC are noted for.

He stated that the party could not be talking of zoning when it had never held power in the state, nothing that the party primary election was fair, transparent and credible, with the best candidate emerging despite having seven people from Edo Central contesting.

He noted that Akpata, a successful lawyer who has done well in business, left N1.5 billion in the coffers of the Nigeria Bar Association when he left the office after two year, wondering how many PDP governors leave such in the state coffers when leaving office.

On his part, the Publicity Secretary of the APC, Peter Uwadiae-Igbinigie, said that Okpebholo who ran a business from the scratch to become successful, cannot be said to lack capacity or experience.

He noted that Okpebholo has done more than his PDP counterpart for the Esan people, stating that he gave millions of naira in donation and five vehicles when the security outfit was established in Esan to combat the activities of criminals, while Ighodalo gave N100, 000.

According to him, the narrative about Okpebholo lacking the acumen to lead the state by the opposition was spurious as he has told the electorate his programme if elected and that he doesn’t need grammar to fix Edo problem.

He also said that Okpebholo had more experience in politics than Ighodalo, considering that he won a Senatorial election under APC in Esanland noted as a PDP strong hold.