Ahead of the February 25 parliamentary election, a former special assistant to Adams Oshiomhole, former Edo state Governor, Mr. Roland Igbadumhe, has predicted victory for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Edo North senatorial candidate, Francis Alimhikhena.
The incumbent senator is up against Oshiomhole who is flying the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Igbadumhe worked with Oshiomhole for years. In a chat with LEADERSHIP, Igbadumhe identified the achievements of Alimhikhena and the influence of the Edo State deputy governor, Philip Shaibu as strong factors for Oshiomhole to contend with.
While noting that former All Progressives Congress, (APC) national chairman endeared himself to the people of Edo North with massive infrastructural projects when he served as governor, Igbadumhe noted that Oshiomhole’s political fortune took a hit when he backed Osagie Ize Iyamu of the APC in the governorship election against incumbent governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki.
“What Senator Francis Alimhikhena has done for his people since winning election into the Senate has been wonderful.”
empowered businesses that are now thriving across the Senatorial district. Unlike Oshiomhole, the Senator is humble to a fault. He gets along with people and he is seen as a loyal and committed leader.
“Apart from empowerment of personal businesses, he provided clean water, making it possible for people to access drinking water without the burden of climbing hills to fetch water. He has left a mark in the minds of the people.
“Don’t get me wrong, Oshiomhole is not a pushover. But many people including prominent leaders in Edo North have not forgiven him for the way he treated Godwin Obaseki. That is why they rallied around the governor to defeat Ize-Iyamu three years ago.
“Again, I think the way he lost out in the political chess game that brought about the caretaker committee of Mai Mala Buni affected him. He has lost that momentum and you know that in politics, it is not easy to recover lost grounds.
“But you can’t also talk about all these without referring to the influence of the deputy governor, Philip Shaibu. He is a massive supporter of Alimhikhena. Few years ago, Oshiomhole was the biggest political asset in Edo North. Today, the biggest political figure in the zone is the deputy governor. This makes the race a difficult one for Oshiomhole to win,” he said.
According to him, Obaseki’s victory made Oshiomhole politically vulnerable because those who saw him as a thin god suddenly changed their impression about him.
“Going into that action, many thought Obaseki was going to lose. Oshiomhole had boasted that whoever he supported was going to win. Shaibu held his ground and at the end, Oshiomhole and Ize-Iyamu lost woefully. Since then, the former governor has not recovered,” he said.
Igbadumhe also called on the electorate to resist vote buying, stressing that character, competence and personal integrity of the candidates should be the determinants of who gets their votes during the election.
“We will continue to advocate for free and fair elections devoid of manipulation. We are calling on voters to vote for the candidate of their choice. With the deployment of technology, the era of manipulation of results is over. The voters must not sell their votes and we are advising them to report to the police anyone who approaches them to buy their votes. They should make their choice based on what these candidates are capable of doing,” he added.
Following the recent Supreme Court judgment which upheld the PDP executive in Edo state loyal to Governor Obaseki, Igbadumhe called on leaders in the other camp including the PDP National Vice Chairman (South South), Chief Dan Orbih to join hands with the governor to ensure victory for the party in all elective offices.
“It is time for party members to come together. Yes, there was disagreement but all should be over now given the ruling of the apex court. I called on Chief Dan Orbih and all the leaders in Etsako East, Etsako West and Etsako Central which make up Edo North to team up and forge a common front to tackle the common enemy,” he added.
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