Director-General, Edo All Progressives Congress Governorship Campaign Council, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, has reiterated his party’s readiness and determination to uproot the unholy political dynasty that the Governor Obaseki-led administration of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was planning to perpetuate in Edo State.
Senator Urhoghide said if Edolites are not careful, the governorship will fall on the lap of someone who will make the situation worse.
According to him, "There are a few hands that we must not allow their political dynasty to persist. They have been manipulating the system against the common good and overall majority interest of the good people of the state.”
Senator Urhoghide, who spoke with our reporter in Abuja, emphasised that the Edo APC was extremely dissatisfied at the obviously prevailing government neglect of other key institutions, stakeholders and collaborative segments in the state’s societal architecture, like the traditional institutions and the mass of our untapped and unengaged youths that should have been seamlessly coordinated, co-opted and sufficiently galvanised into the mainstream of government’s enlarged activities with a view to enriching and stabilising the governance of the state to achieve the much desired growth in the state’s socio-economic outlook.
He queried the near-empty attention, and obvious insensitivity given to issues concerning the mass of Edo State youths, whose latent and potent energies and capacities have been deliberately ignored, grossly untapped and patently un-patronised, while government, instead, fraternised with contractors, artisans and masoners from outside of the state to the detriment of Edo State’s socio-economic health and wellbeing.
The APC Governorship Campaign Council Director-General insisted that “we must genuinely galvanise our youths and make them more productive and better enhanced to effectively participate in the activities of government because they are a key segment, key participants, not only in terms of population, but more essentially in deciding the health and virility of governance in the state”. He called on all relevant stakeholders across all segments of the socio-political and economic strata in the state, including the media and the professions, to partner with the collective intent and determination of the Edo APC and its gubernatorial candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, to take Edo to the next level of participatory governance.
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While insisting that the APC’s gubernatorial candidate was “an embodiment of humility, who is very much at home with his people”, Senator Urhoghide expressed palpable delight at the gale of high-profile new entrants and defectors from other parties, especially from the PDP, into the Edo APC ahead of the September 21 governorship election, noting that the party would continue to harvest and welcome more valuable political leaders into the APC in the coming days and weeks.
The APC Campaign Council DG stressed that “We are talking of political leaders moving in and not just anyone. We have since welcomed a former BoT member of the PDP, Hon. Charles Idahosa. We saw the former Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, Hon. Frank Okiye, moving into the party, and Honourable Felix Akhabue, all moving into the party. We still have a whole lot of them still coming from Esan South-East and people from Esan Central and North-East.
“We want to handle Edo North very specially like Edo South because a lot of people are going to be coming from there. So many people from PDP in those districts want to come to APC. There are so many people from Etsako West, Owan East. In Owan West where the Edo Assembly Speaker, Hon. Blessing Agbebaku hails from, a lot of people are coming in from there. So also is Owan East. In Etsako Central, members of the Chief Dan Orbih-led Legacy Group want to join us. Etsako East is almost all APC.”
“Coming to Edo South, we are expecting people from Egor, Ikpoba-Okha and Oredo. Practically, the axis of Ovia North-East and Ovia South-West is almost sealed with Hon. Dennis Idahosa. Mind you, not too long ago, Hon. Charles Idahosa from Uhunmwonde joined us. We are still expecting another batch that is willing to join us. The Legacy PDP members are coming in batches too. In Oredo, we are going to see a whole lot of Legacy PDP members coming in, notably supporters of Honourable Ogbeide-Ihama.
“Even a day or two to the election, a lot of PDP supporters will still make a move to the APC. What is very important to us is the strong belief of those coming in that we should have a change of plans in the governance of the state, and that what is happening in Edo right now, is not good enough. We have resolved, and that is our collective determination, not to allow a perpetuation of the Gov. Obaseki’s divisive political dynasty that presently wants to be. We do not want it because the people, ultimately, would not benefit from it.”
Senator Urhoghide, therefore, enjoined Edo people to remain upbeat and throw their weight behind the Edo APC, “as the party leadership is focused and determined to win the September 21 governorship election and enthrone a government that will deliver on its promises to the delight of the people."
