in ,

Osagie Dismisses Okpebholo and Akpata as Unfit to Lead Edo, Predicts Ighodalo’s Landslide Win in Oredo LGA

The Chairman, publicity committee of the Governorship Campaign Council of the People's Democratic Party, PD, in Oredo local government area of Edo State, Crusoe Osagie
The Chairman, publicity committee of the Governorship Campaign Council of the People's Democratic Party, PD, in Oredo local government area of Edo State, Crusoe Osagie

The Chairman, publicity committee of the Governorship Campaign Council of the People’s Democratic Party, PD, in Oredo local government area of Edo State, Crusoe Osagie, has dismissed the candidates of the All-Progressives Congress, (APC) Monday Okpebholo, and that of the Labour Party, (LP) Olumide Osaigbovo Akpata, as incapable of administering the state.

As the countdown to the September 21 governorship election in the state continued, Osagie on Monday asserted that the only candidate and the political party that had the structure to win the election was Dr. Asue Ighodalo and the People’s Democratic Party. Describing Ighodalo as the only “viable candidate”, he boasted that the ruling party in the state would win Oredo by a landslide during the election.

Addressing a press conference in Benin City, Osagie, special adviser to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Media Project, flanked by other committee members, said the race would be a three-pronged race made up of the PDP, the APC) and the LP. He however declared candidates of rival political parties as ill-prepared as, according to him, they lacked the needed capacity to lead Edo State.

According to him, “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. They have the largest number of lawyers in the country; they pay perhaps the highest wages to lawyers. He has been chairman of many blue-chip companies; he has led people’s destinies aright. He has 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 that 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 it. We are calling on all other local government areas to join us and do the right thing.”

Analysing what he said were the deficiencies of the other candidates, Osagie said Akpata of the LP was 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 “He 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. You should consider the fact that Edo Central Senatorial district, for over 20 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.

“There is not going to be fairness, there is not going to be 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.”

For Okpebholo of the APC, Osagie had no kind words for him saying he could not differentiate between a zoo and a museum and does not have the capacity to govern over four million people of Edo State.

“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. We cannot entrust the collective destiny of over four million people into his custody. So, that extent, he is not qualified to be our governor.”

Follow Us on Social Media

Author

Written by Adekunbi Ero

Kassim Afegbua

Edo 2024: APC Campaign Spokesman Afegbua Accuses Arise TV’s Abati and Rufai of ‘Journalistic Gangsterism’

Edo Elections: Ighodalo’s Wife Ifeyinwa Wins Over Market Women with Fabrics and Aprons, Secures Strong Endorsement for PDP Candidate

Edo Elections: Ighodalo’s Wife Ifeyinwa Wins Over Market Women with Fabrics and Aprons, Secures Strong Endorsement for PDP Candidate