Ahead of the September 21 Edo State governorship election, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. (Alhaji) Umar Ganduje, yesterday in Benin inaugurated the National Campaign Council of the party for the election.
He announced Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State as chairman of the council with members of the Progressive Governors Forum as members.
Ganduje also received hundreds of members of the Legacy Group of the Edo State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who defected to the APC. They were led by the reinstated deputy governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu.
Receiving the defectors, he said since Shaibu is a serving deputy governor, the party already had 50 percent of the people and government of Edo State.
He disclosed that the party would soon organise a grand rally in Benin to be attended by President Bola Tinubu, saying the APC governorship candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo and his running mate, Dennis Idahosa, were not coming with MOUs but concrete plans to develop Edo State and connect the state to the centre.
“Okpebholo is a developer who knows the meaning of development while Idahosa is a projects man. I urge you to vote for them,” the APC national chairman said.
He thanked the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, for maintaining peace in his domain, assuring him that the incoming APC government would respect the traditional institution and work with him.
In his speech, former governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the senator representing Edo North, lamented that the development legacy recorded by his administration in all sectors of the state had not been sustained by the Obaseki government, adding that the difference between his government and the Obaseki government was clear.
He drew parallels between the APC candidate, Sen. Monday Okpebholo and the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo, saying governance is about empathy which is one of the strengths of Okpebholo which Ighodalo lacks.
He backed his position with the issue of insecurity in Esan land which necessitated the people raising money to tackle the menace and noted whereas Okpebholo contributed millions of naira, Okpebholo contributed only N100, 000.
Senator Oshiomhole while speaking on the recent political violence in the state in which a police Inspector was killed and others injured, called on the state commissioner of police to defend the integrity of his uniform and produce the killers of the police officer.
He also called on the inspector general of police to disband the Edo State Security Network (ESSN), recalling the killing of his private secretary in similar manner when he was governor of the state, saying the investigation was messed-up.
“This killing must not be messed-up,” Oshiomhole said and promised to raise the issue at the senate.
The APC candidate, Sen. Monday Okpebholo, promised to unite the people of the state and restore infrastructure, security and educational system, just as he pledged to restore the traditional institution to its place of pride.
Earlier, while leading members of the PDP Legacy group to join the APC, the deputy governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, said they were back to add value to the party.
