TELL Magazine

…Vows ‘We must enter Osadebe Avenue.’

Immediate past President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Olumide Osaigbovo Akpata has emerged the candidate of the Labour Party, LP for the September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State. Akpata was elected at a tension-soaked primary election of the party held at the Bishop Kelly Pastoral Centre, Airport Road, Benin City.

In what was evidently a landslide victory, Akpata dusted nine other aspirants, coasting home to victory with 316 votes, while Kenneth Imansuagbon, popularly called Riceman, and Professor Sunday Eromosele trailed far behind with seven votes each. Former House of Representatives member, Sergius Ogun scored four votes, Dennis Abbebe, three votes, while the two women in the race recorded no votes.
Prince Tom Iseghohi withdrew from the race before voting started.

Declaring Akpata the LP flag bearer, the chairman of the election committee said “I hereby, as the chairman, Engineer Ikechukwu Emetulu, Deputy Governor, Abia State, Chairman and chief returning officer of Edo State Labour Party Gubernatorial Primaries, by powers vested on me by the National Working Committee and National Executive Council of the Labour Party, I hereby declare as follows: Mr. Olumide Osaigbovo Akpata, having scored the highest number of votes, and satisfied the provisions of the constitution of the party, is hereby declared the winner and the gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party of the Edo State governorship election 2024…”

Emetulu congratulated all the aspirants “for showing that spirit of sportsmanship”. He particularly congratulated Akpata for his victory, adding that “I want to advice you to carry them along. You need them to be in your campaign council so that we can push the party forward during the gubernatorial election”.

In his acceptance speech, Akpata paid glowing tribute to the memory of late Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, who he described as “my friend, my mentor, and my elder brother”, and whose trajectory as a former NBA president, and later governor, he said he appeared to be following, adding that “coincidentally, he was buried today”.

Responding to the advice by Emetulu, Akpata said “Mr. Chairman, Your Excellency, you have my assurance that I will carry everybody along. It is a big task, a big burden on my shoulder, I cannot bear alone because we must enter Osadebe Avenue.”

The election was not devoid of some drama as Imansuangbon, sensing that he had lost out even before the first ballot was cast, went into a rage, and had to be bundled out of the hall by security men.