Edo 2024: Esan Central aspirants says they will agree with outcome of selection process to safeguard ticket– Gen. Cecil Esekhaigbe

By Onimisi Chairles Joseph

The Senatorial leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Esan Central in Edo State, Rtd. Maj. Gen. Cecil Esekhaigbe has informed that all aspirants jostling for the governorship ticket for the Edo State off-cycle election in 2024 have all agreed that they will abide by the outcome of the exercise that will conducted to select one as candidate among the array of aspirants.

Esekhaigbe gave this explanation when he addressed newsmen in his home in Abuja noting that it will be difficult for all the aspirants from the Senatorial District in.Edo Central to clinch the ticket rather if they can present one person among themselves so that the chances that the ticket will not be made all comers affair will be reduce.

He stated further that Edo North brothers and sisters have pledged their support for the Edo Central District so that they can nominate a competent, character and knowledge based background that can lead the party, APC to victory instead of operating like a divided house that will not go anywhere. He said he feels comfortable that they are making progress with the decision so far.

According to him: ” So, based on that, in our interactive session before the exercise, we stressed these fact to them that it has to be only one person. All of you struggling for this ticket without that clear conscience, and good faith to key into this exercise will not go anywhere.

” So, they all subscribe to the program. We actually asked if they have any observations among all the members of the screening team, they should raise it. And they all agreed that they are men and women of characters. And that they are going to agree with the outcome of the exercise.

Only a quality person with competence, character and content, that they can support, Edo North and South. We had a meeting in our Senatorial District on 7th of September, 2023 and discussed with the aspirants. That they should speak with themselves with a view to proning the numbers to a manageable size.

” Where they are not able to do that, the leadership will device another methods of reducing this numbers. Not too long ago, we conducted what we called screening exercise where we brought all the aspirants together.

” We selected competent people with good character and knowledge based background to participate in this exercise. We invited our brothers and sisters from Edo North and South as observers. To see what we were doing.

“In that context of the screening exercise, we must take note that it is not a prequalification exercise. Because for us, they are all qualified. But, only one person will be a candidate”, he said.

A total of six aspirants have currently been identified as staking interest for the Edo governorship ticket for 2024 while there might be others outside the fold of this body. The list includes; Professor Oserhiemen Osunbor, Thomas Okosun and among others.