The All Progressives Congress in Edo State has said its candidate for the September 21 governorship election, Monday Okphebolo, is better placed to win the poll.
But the ruling Peoples Democratic Party dismissed the claim, expressing confidence to retain power in the state.
According to the APC, unlike the candidate of the PDP, Asue Ighodalo, and his Labour Party candidate, Olumide Akpata, who grew up outside Edo State, Okpebholo is a homeboy and will easily win the heart of the people.
The Chairman of the Edo State APC, Jarret Tenebe, who spoke to our correspondent on Sunday, said the state would stop Governor Godwin Obaseki from extending his tenure using Ighodalo.
He added that the APC did not consider Akpata of the Labour Party as a real threat.
Tenebe said, “For me, I don’t know about the Labour Party and Olumide Apata. But I know that Asue Ighodalo is not a politician and he doesn’t even vote here. He was just registered about a few weeks ago and would be spending the government money through Obaseki. I think we have had enough of Obaseki.
“Edo people are wise now. For instance, just 30 minutes of rain in Edo, you will be locked up wherever you are and can’t go out. It is that bad. This is why our people want to replace him with Senator Monday Okpebholo. He is accepted by the people of Edo State because he is a homeboy. He was born, schooled and grew up here in the village. Okpebholo knows where the shoe pinches everybody. He went to the farm and understands what it is for a poor person to grow up.”
Tenebe added that unlike Ighodalo, who was raised in the city and did not experience poverty while growing up, Okpebholo, who grew up in the village, will better relate to the problems of the people.
He said, “Our governorship candidate also knows what it means for a poor man or woman to raise the children up to secondary school level in the state. This is why we are confident he knows what to do to improve the life of the Edo people, unlike Asue who was born with a golden spoon in his mouth and has never experienced anything like going to the farm or fetching water from the stream.
“I think when the father died about four years or five years ago, that was when he came to Esan for the first time in his life. So it’s more to make God’s voice than education. He is more of a Lagos boy than Edo State.”
According to Tenebe, a fresher like Ighodalo would only compound some of the challenges in the state rather than resolve them.
“It is not just that Asue didn’t grow up in Edo, he also does not speak any of the local dialect. If you have a patient who needs a diagnosis, you will have to understand the person’s language to be able to communicate to know what to diagnose. Right now, Edo is sick and needs someone who can diagnose and solve its problem.
“This is where Okpebholo comes in. He speaks all three languages of Edo and he understands the people. Besides, he has already shown us that he is more than capable with all the work he has been doing in his senatorial district. These are what we believe he can replicate and surpass in the state as governor.
“Labour Party, on the other hand, is our friendly forces. Olumide Apata too, just like Ighodalo, didn’t grow up in Edo. I really have nothing more to say about him because we don’t see him as a threat to us. He also doesn’t want Obaseki and Ighodalo to continue occupying in Edo government house,” he noted.
But the PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi, dismissed the boast by the APC, expressing confidence that the PDP would retain power in Edo State.
Abdullahi said, “It is just a game of wit to outdo the PDP. If it is within their prerogative there won’t even have been an election. It will be a case of just appointing anyone they like as governor. So it is not in the place of the Edo APC chairman to determine who people would vote for during the election. It is for the people to have their say.
“The PDP has played its part by deciding on who it wants to field. The APC should also field the one they call a homeboy and allow the people of Edo to make their choice. It is a question of who gets what, when and how. That is what democracy is about. As usual, they have started with their antic and it will not work. It is something you should expect.
“We don’t expect them to just embrace any candidate we bring without finding fault. They are a party. But what they are doing is no longer a factor in modern-day politics. There is no contest that he is not from that state. Why are they not saying that? Instead, they are claiming he can’t speak the language. That is even if it is true. They are just intimidated and we are not going to be distracted.”