- VP vows Okpebholo will deliver as governor
Vice President Kashim Shettima yesterday made a case for the All Progressives Congress (APC) flag bearer in next Saturday’s off-cycle governorship election in Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, saying he is the ideal candidate to lead the state.
Addressing party supporters at the APC mega rally held at the Sports Complex of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Ugbowo Main Campus, Vice President Shettima said Okpenholo was endowed with strategic thinking, compassion, and ability to connect with the people.
Edo State, according to him, needs a leader who can rally its citizens, listen to their concerns and lead with humility.
He described Okpebholo as a man of the people who feels the pulse of Edo’s citizens, understands their needs, and has a story to tell.
Shettima expressed confidence that Okpebholo and his running mate, Hon. Dennis Idahosa, would complement each other and bring a positive transformation to governance in Edo State.
He praised their humility and grassroots politicking, assuring that they will redefine and reshape the state’s governance for the better.
VP Shettima noted that the APC candidate was most qualified to assume the leadership of the state.
He continued: “What Edo State needs is a strategic thinker, a builder, a man of the people, a man who can rally the great people of Edo State.
“Edo State needs a man who will open his doors to the people, hear their cries and lead with the fear of God.
“Edo does not need a man who knows it all. Edo needs a man who feels the pulse of his people, knows where it hurts and has a story to tell in terms of where he is coming from.
“Edo needs a compassionate leader, one who is in tune with the yearnings and aspirations of Edo people. Edo needs a leader with the tenacity and knack for radical change and influence.
“Let me sum it up by quoting Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, who said ‘The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things; he is the one that gets people to do the greatest things.
”Therefore, in Senator Monday Okpebholo and his deputy, Hon. Dennis Idahosa, we have two gentlemen who will walk the talk. They will complement each other. The humility that has brought them thus far will also manifest in their governing of Edo State.
“With these two grassroots politicians and distinguished public servants, Edo will witness a positive redefining and reshaping of governance,” he said.
He reminded the people of the state that despite diversities in backgrounds, their expectations are the same.
“Whether you are a civil servant or a trader, whether you are Esan or Afemai, whether you are a Christian or a Muslim, whether you are young or old, male or female, our expectations are the same.
“We all seek the same thing – a functional Edo State, a state that can provide opportunities for all of you to thrive.
“What unites us the most is not our differences but our collective desire for a nation that works, a state that meets our needs,” Senator Shettima told the mammoth crowd at the campaign ground.
In his remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio urged the people of Edo to vote for the party in order to reap more dividends of democracy.
He said N212 billion has already been appropriated for the reconstruction of the Auchi-Benin Road, which he said when completed, will boost economic activities in Edo State.
On his part, the National Chairman of the APC, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, said the people of Edo State have suffered in the last eight years and they need to be liberated.
He declared that Monday Okpebholo is the right person to lead the state to the promise land.
Ganduje said: “In the last eight years, Edo State has suffered and the state is now downgraded in terms of infrastructure, security and general development.
“Benin should have the outlook of a modern city, but today, it is looking for a person who will uplift the state. Monday is the person to do so.”
The Chairman of the National Campaign Council of the party in Edo, Senator Bassey Otu, the Governor of Cross River state, declared that Edo needed a change, with Okpebholo to ensure good governance.
The APC National Chairman later received decampees from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including a former Senator, the governorship candidate of Action Alliance for Edo State and the Organizing Secretary of the Labour Party in the state.
On his part, former Governor of Edo State, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, praised the humility, loyalty and sense of judgment of Vice President Shettima.
Oshiomhole decried the poor performance of the outgoing Governor of Edo State, saying the state had not witnessed development in the last eight years.
He stated: “Governance is about development; our roads and other infrastructure are dilapidated. Education has suffered a lot. Because the state does not have a State Universal Basic Education Board yet, the Governor has been benefiting from the Universal Basic Education Commission’s funds.
“Our future has been compromised by Obaseki. People of my age and the younger ones have not forgotten what is called “plan well”, a savings scheme championed by the Asue, which defrauded the people.”
On his part, the APC governorship candidate, Senator Okpebholo appealed for support to change the tide in Edo State.
“We will give loans to our farmers through cooperatives; we will also give soft loans to market women. We will employ over 5,000 teachers within my first 100 days in office. We will build health centers across the 192 wards in Edo and we will declare a state of emergency on education,” he promised.
Other Dignitaries that graced the campaign rally were the Governors of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq; Imo State, Hope Uzodinma; Ondo State, Dapo Abiodun; Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule; Kogi State, Usman Ododo, and Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, as well as members of the National Assembly from Edo State, and party stalwarts, among others.
Shettima had on his arrival in the city paid a courtesy visit on the Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II.
Hold Obaseki responsible if Edo poll turns violent, APC Youths warn
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Youth League has condemned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for declining to sign the peace accord ahead of the Edo State gubernatorial election.
National President of the All Progressive Youth League, Comrade Olamide Lawal, in a statement he personally signed, expressed disappointment and concern over PDP’s refusal to be part of a peace pact aimed at re-assuring the electorate of a non-violent exercise.
According to him, “We are shocked that the PDP has refused to sign the peace accord usually signed by political parties participating in elections in Nigeria. This indicates a lack of commitment to peaceful elections and a potential resort to violence.
“We urge the PDP to reconsider their decision, retrace their steps in the interest of Nigeria’s democracy and sign the peace accord forthwith. We also call on security agencies to ensure a peaceful and credible election.”
According to Lawal, “The youths in Edo State will not hesitate to hold Governor Godwin Obaseki accountable for any breach of peace during the election.
“We will not allow him to use his exalted office to cause chaos and destruction before he leaves office. Regrettably, Governor Obaseki is also a beneficiary of this peace accord.
“Why he asked his party not to be part of a peace-assuring process is unequivocally an attempt to jeopardize the efforts of members of this peace accord in the Heartbeat of the nation”
He appealed to other stakeholders in the country to step up their game by ensuring that the forthcoming election is peaceful.
“We call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, and civil society organisations to intervene and prevail on the PDP to re-assure the electorate of a peaceful election in words and actions.
“The APC National Youth League is committed to supporting a peaceful and credible electoral process in Edo State, and we will not allow anyone to compromise that because our members across all the 18 local governments of Edo State have mobilised massively for this election, and any move to truncate their efforts via violence by PDP will be resisted,” he stressed.”
