Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo Central Senatorial District have been urged to support the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general election for Esanland not to lose representation in the next Senate.
This advice was contained in a statement released by Felix Okoduwa, a chieftain of the PDP in Uromi in Esan North East local government area.
Okoduwa warned politicians to apply wisdom in the overall interest of the people and eschew the kind of politics that would judge them wrongly.
The politician said there were two strong cases among many others currently at the lower courts.
“Judgement in one of them will be delivered on November 18, 2022 while the other will come up in February 2023. The two cases will also proceed to Appeal and Supreme Courts after the election. The people of Edo Central cannot afford to hang their fate on the altar of one political party.
“Since we the politicians are not able to sort ourselves out, it means we have lost the balance of leadership. The future of our people should not be held down by selfish politicking. Those we suffered to protect have refused to lower their ego for us. What then is the essence of followership?”
Okoduwa said during the last governorship election, the people of Esanland were called names when they trooped out to vote and defended the votes for PDP.
“But these same elements in our party have forgotten so soon and rather refused to reciprocate but stuck to their selfish interests against the good of our people.”
The PDP chieftain said posterity would judge the party wrongly if it arrogantly allowed the people to lose out in representation at the senate, adding that the gladiators in the current fight knew that the end would be fruitless.
“PDP leaders in Esanland and Edo State should not mortgage the future of the people. Nobody wants to bend backwards for the people but they want the people to lose everything for them. That kind of politics is demonic,” he noted.
ourOkoduwa who also faulted some traditional leaders for taking sides and deepening the crises in the PDP, further called on the people of Agbazillo and entire Esanland to support the APC.
According to him, “Monday Okpebholo, the senatorial candidate of the party has been leading other APC candidates to seek for votes across the senatorial district without rancour. The peoples’ destiny should not be tied to one political party.”
Edo State PDP has been embroiled in crises over representation with the two factional groups controlled by Governor Godwin Obaseki and Chief Dan Orbih claiming rights over who represents the people at the next election resulting in unending suits at the courts.
Senator Clifford Ordia and Michael Onolememen are fighting over the Senate ticket of the PDP in Edo Central senatorial district. Both have variously claimed ownership of the senate ticket from various court judgements, a scenario which had caused apprehension.
While Ordia is on Governor Obaseki’s side, Onolememen represents Dan Orbih’s group, a reflection of the crisis across the state which has seen all the tickets in PDP doubled and sometimes tripled, with each group claiming ownership of the tickets ahead of the general election.
