The Senator representing Edo North Senatorial District, Adams Oshiomhole has expressed optimism that the All Progressives Congress, APC, will reclaim the state from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming gubernatorial polls on September 21.
This comes in the midst of intense competition, with 29 contenders vying for the APC’s ticket.
The national chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, echoed this sentiment by urging stakeholders in the state to work diligently towards ensuring that the party emerges victorious in the upcoming state governorship election.
During the extended Edo State stakeholders meeting with the National Working Committee (NWC) on the state gubernatorial election at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Monday night, the two prominent leaders expressed their views.
The former APC national chairman, who holds the position of the party leader in the state, conveyed to the NWC members that both leaders and party members in the state are determined to regain control of Edo State, asserting that it rightfully belongs to the party.
Oshiomhole said, “We are particularly determined; as you can see, everybody here has a robust past and even present. We are determined to reclaim Edo State. I used the word reclaim because Edo is ours. We lost it due to several factors, some of which were caused by some APC elements.”
Emphasizing the party’s determination to secure Edo, Oshiomhole stated that stakeholders in the state are engaged in constructive dialogues with governorship aspirants.
The aim is to foster understanding for a peaceful primary process and ultimately secure victory in the scheduled September governorship election.
He said, “On our part, we have tried to initiate dialogue among our aspirants. It is no secret that at the time we had the dialogue, I think they (aspirants) were 27. I learned it has increased to 29 now. The process is ongoing, and the struggle continues. So we are looking forward to a healthy deliberation.”
Expressing gratitude, the former governor acknowledged the significant role played by the national chairman, Dr. Ganduje, in the previous governorship election in the state.
He extended his prayers for God to bless Ganduje’s efforts once again as the party reunites with the progressive family under his leadership.
In counselling the delegates, the APC chairman emphasized the need for the party to enhance internal democracy. He stressed that this improvement is crucial for the emergence of a popular and widely accepted candidate as the party’s flag bearer in the primary election scheduled for February 17.
He noted: “We have to improve our internal democracy – we have to deepen and widen it. We need to understand the party and its manifesto; its rules and regulations. We need to understand its philosophy.
“We need to move towards having a party ideology so that we will not be an ordinary political association whereby everybody can come in just to win an election.
“We have to be transparent, and at the same time, we have to also adopt a guided democracy where we can discuss issues so that we limit, if possible, the number of contestants.”
The chairman confidently reassured that the APC is determined to reclaim Edo State in the upcoming September 2024 elections.
He stated: “Edo is an APC state. Now we have to take Edo back. We have only one state from the South-South for the greatest party in Africa, which is not acceptable. We were able to get only Cross River State; after crossing so many rivers, we succeeded in getting Cross River. But Edo State, we Insha Allah must get it.“
