Edo 2024: EYDC canvass support for LP’s Akpata, kick against PDP’s Ighodalo
By John Bello, Abuja
A group under the auspices of Edo Youth Democratic Coalition (EYDC) has canvass its support for the Labour Party gubernatorial candidate, Barr. Osaigbovo Olumide Akpata in the forthcoming governorship election in the State.
In a statement signed by the Publicity Speaker of the group on Friday, Dr. Joseph Aghaku Omokaro, the group who obviously opposed the endorsement of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) candidate, Barr. Asue Ighodalo by Senator Uzamere, describing it as a self-seeking move.
Dr. Aghaku also stood in the defense of Dr. Patrick Eholor who he referred to as a true promoter of the Benin agenda.
Also in the statement which was titled: “Senator Uzamere’s diatribe is a gold medal in Ghana Must Go Bag of Politics – The Benins will inevitably vote Osaigbovo Olumide Akpata beyond ethnic affiliation’s justification”, Aghaku said Akpata’s popularity is not limited to Benin but cut across the State.
“Our attention has been drawn to the clandestine moves by some unscrupulous elements to drown the illuminating furnaces which Dr. Patrick Eholor delivered against Senator Uzamere’s illusionary remarks purported to be endorsement of the PDP’s strange bedfellows for the Edo gubernatorial seat. “It is a settled anthology that no sane Benin man will vote against Akpata in the September 2024 election.- A publication in a supposed intellectual platform (The Conscious watchmen) that came to Sen. Uzamere’s defense simply committed heresy against chief Eholor for his selfless struggles in the defense of the masses. “Chief Eholor had insisted that Sen. Uzamere should Practice what he preaches because his antecedents has failed to command the moral justification for him to talk of unity. Surprisingly, Uzamere has become an overnight protagonist of unity in his bid to support a candidate from a sister Senatorial district against the only Benin Candidate because of his vested personal and selfish interests in the PDP where his son presently serves as the Commissioner for Roads and Bridges in our dear Edo state.
“For the benefit of doubt, if you, Sen. Uzamere, a supposed Elderly Statesman can embark on this ugly illogical summersault of working against the Benin interest in such an amplified manner, then you have taken yourself out of the League of probable names of Distinguished Benins who deservingly will step into the shoes of icons of Benin political leadership like Late Chief Omo Osagie (B2), Late Dr. S.O. Ogbemudia, Late Capt. Hosa Okunbor e.t.c. who at one time in their lives became the political epicenter and leaders of the Benin nation.
“We at the Edo Youth Democratic Coalition (EYDC) are strongly opposed to your position of Barr. Asue Ighodalo being the preferred candidate in the Edo 2024 Gubernatorial Elections. We also wish to re-iterate clearly that the Benins as a people and nation will not collectively adopt anybody in the race against one of our own, Barr. Osaigbovo Olumide Akpata.
“Infact we wish to unequivocally state here that a candidate who is currently struggling for acceptance and recognition by his supposed people (Esan) and a Candidate who cannot speak the dialect of his people that he elects to serve is not fit, proper and also not deserving of our support.
“The Edo Youth Democratic Coalition and the mass of the Benin nation already have a vibrant and very qualified son of the soil to rally support for. Let it be known that Barr. Osaigbovo Olumide Akpata is the de facto candidate of the Benin nation,” Aghaku said.
He however called on Benins, home and abroad to jettison calls by Senator Uzamere to support Ighodalo, against Akpata saying Uzamere’s is support is inconsequential.
According to him: “In the light of the aforementioned, Sen. Ehigie Edobor Uzamere’s support for Asue Ighodalo is self serving, parochial and inconsequential. At this juncture, we cannot afford to betray our conscience as Benins, Oya aya sinmwin evbuomwan. “Hence, we call on all Benins at home and also those in diaspora to disregard Sen. Uzamere’s call and support for Asuelime Ighodalo.
“The statements credited to a group named the “Conscious Watchmen” against the person of Chief Patrick Eholor is not only a reflection of how many self professed educated Nigerians have degenerated to the extent of standing for untruths and innuendos against what is actually the truth.
“ This is a conscious effort by the so called “League of conscious watchmen” to dis-educate us and insult our collective intelligence all in an effort to market and frontload a candidate that has no bearing and relationship with the mass of Edo people. This is quite unfortunate for such a group to practically expose themselves as not leaving the name of what they truly stand for. For if they are really consciously watching, they ought to know that the issues raised by Chief Eholor are not only germane but verifiable facts that stare in the faces of Edo people.
“We also insist here that we profoundly share in the opinions and positions maintained by Chief Eholor. We wish to clearly inform the “conscious watchmen” and Senator Uzamere that asking us to abandon our worthy Son, Barr. Osaigbovo Akpata, for a man we know nothing about prior to 2008 simply because he has a Business partner at No. 1 Dennis Osadebey way is a misnormal and an affront on the Collective interests of the Benin nation.
“ We know Barr. Osaigbovo Akpata, we know how he was born, how he grew up. We know his character and we also know his family background so well. He is a worthy Son of the Benin nation in whom we are well pleased. We wish to state here finally that Barr. Asue Ighodalo is a product of the pathological fixation on the capture and use of raw power by our largely corrupt power elites (godfather) and so cannot truly serve the purpose and interests of the Benin nation but that of one man and their co-travellers.
“We are at a time where Edo State beckons on a true people oriented leadership which must be detached from the umbilical cord of the present state operators/actors. Edo people are tired of this present day politics of illusion and memorandum of understanding (M.O.U.) that leads to nowhere.
“Our focus is a more robust leadership of collective responsibility and participatory governance by all Edo people and not Lagos/foreign mercenaries coming to Edo to rip off the goose that lay the golden eggs. We don’t want governance facilitated by consultants but by Edo people and that is why we crave for the emergence of Barr. Akpata as our next governor. Dr. Joseph Aghaku,” he noted.
Leave a Comment