Guber Race: Obaseki’s Ex-Aide, Ogbemudia Joins Labour Party

The strength of the Edo State chapter of the Labour Party (LP) has been boosted as a former commissioner for youths and special duties, Hon Andrew Enwanta and daughter of former governor of the defunct Bendel State, Amen Ogbemudia joins the party.

They formally declared for LP as Barrister Ken Imansuangbon visits the State Executive Committee (SEC) of the party in Benin, the state capital.

Imansuangbon had recently joined the LP and on Tuesday registered his membership with the party at his Ward 2 Esan South East local government area.

The trio of Imansuangbon, popularly known as the “Riceman”, Ewanta, Ogbemudia and other defectors were received at the party’s secretariat located at Ogbelaka Street by LP state chairman led by Kelly Ogbaloi and his excos.

Imansuangbon who addressed party’s faithful recalled his sojourn in party politics and declared that his defection from the PDP had put an end to his painful years of deceit in the hands of political godfathers whom he lamented never meant well for the state.

He said, “My eyes are now opened and I have decided to take my case to God almighty and to Edo people.  I don’t want to put my case in the hands of the godfathers anymore.

“I am tired of the oppression of the godfathers, tired of the pain and deception; I want to now take my faith and destiny into God’s hand and the good people of Edo State.

With God and Edo people my 2024 is sure.”

Also, Enwanta, who resigned his membership of the PDP last week, challenged Governor Godwin Obaseki to give account of the trillions of naira accruable to the state since 2016 and noted that the time for propaganda and just signing of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were over.

He lampooned Obaseki for imposition and destroying the PDP in the state, accusing him of turning himself to a godfather.

“In 2020, when the governor came into the PDP we had people like the Dan Orbihs and the others because of lack of relationship skills, these people have been ostracized from the party; little wonder the party performed abysmally.

“At the first ballot in February this year, the nine federal constituencies of the PDP got zero, senatorial election, PDP got zero. It has never happened in the history of the PDP in Edo State that a party in government will perform abysmally, for me that was a referendum in government.

“Over N3 billion have been spent on Observer Newspapers and Edo Broadcasting Service (EBS), all kinds of consultants have performed surgeries on Nigerian Observer Newspapers and EBS, yet there is nothing to show for the expenditures. This is a government that since it came into office has received over N1 trillion and has nothing to account for; it is the height of fraud,” Ewanta said.

Also, Ogbemudia and a onetime executive director under former governor Adams Oshiomhole, decried the state of decay and rots in public schools in the state and promised that Labour Party’s administration will right the many wrongs in the state.