Edo Guber: Obaseki, Ighodalo Can Not Walk Freely On Benin Streets – APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dared the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, to take a public walk with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asue Ighodalo, through the streets of Benin City and other parts of the state.

The party suggested that such an endeavour might end unfavourably for the Governor, hinting at a “bloody nose.”

The challenge came during the inauguration of the local government and ward campaign councils of Oredo Local Government Area, where the APC also addressed internal party matters.

The party called on members who were discontent with the outcome of the gubernatorial primaries, which saw Senator Monday Okpebholo become the party’s candidate, to rally behind him for the upcoming elections.

The deputy gubernatorial candidate for the APC, Dennis Idahosa, outlined the party’s agenda during the event.

He promised that a new APC government would pick up from where former Governor Adams Oshiomhole left off, focusing on critical areas such as flood control, rebuilding public schools, addressing insecurity and cultism, and ensuring respect for traditional institutions.

He said, “Adams Oshiomhole has been out of government for eight years now. The current governor is Obaseki and he has been there for almost eight years.

“We want Obaseki to take the hands of his candidate, Asue Ighodalo and walk round the streets of Benin City and other places in the state and Oshiomhole will take the hand of Okpebholo and do the same thing and see what will happen. If Obaseki does not wear a helmet, he will come back bleeding because he is completely disconnected from the people,” he said.

Okpebholo, on his part, said if elected, his administration “would not listen to gossip, we will be there to work for Edo people so that there will be progress in the state. We are ready to send them packing because they have failed us. I was in the local government of the PDP candidate and by the time I counted 30 things I had done in his place, they could not point to one thing that he had done for them.”

The Director General of the APC Campaign Council, Matthew Uroghide, said the APC has done enough for the people to win the election including the party’s candidates who he said are sitting members of the National Assembly that have been working for their people.

Besides, he said Oredo is the heartbeat of politics in Edo South and that most of the political bigwigs in Oredo, including himself, who had been in different political parties, are now all in one party, so the victory of the party is sure.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Director General of the Campaign Council in Oredo, Osaro Obazee called for unity of the members for victory.

He said: “I am overwhelmed with the quality and quantity of people here today. Not too long ago, we were all involved in our primary election and I recall that in our last meeting, some people still had deep anger. You have a choice when you are contesting a primary election but once a candidate has emerged, you can no longer have a personal interest except if you want to do anti-party activities which have consequences so we must work together.

“We are not going to adopt the usual of campaigning, we have a new strategy and we will discuss that in our closed door meeting.”